LOGLINES LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2010

A Look at the Fiscal 2011

DIRECTOR’S

GUIDANCE

Special Insert in this Issue

2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE PAMPHLE

Book 1.indb 1 10/19/10 8:
DIRECTOR

T

he beginning of a new fiscal year 

finds the Defense Logistics Agency 

navigating the challenges involved 

in delivering world-class support to 

warfighters in an environment marked 

by increasingly constrained resources. 

Defense Department leaders and 

American taxpayers are looking for us 

to streamline our operations so we can 

continue providing the quality support the 

armed forces have come to associate with 

DLA but without additional expenditures.

Last month I debuted my fiscal 

2011 Director’s Guidance, which 

forms the backbone of our strategy to 

pursue logistics excellence in this era 

Navy Vice Adm. Alan S. Thompson, SC, USN

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

from the

of restricted funding. The 19 outlined 

initiatives reflect DLA’s role in ongoing 

deliberations supporting the Secretary of 

Defense’s push to realign resources and 

enable investment in force structure and 

modernization. 

Enhancing warfighter support, 

pursuing stewardship excellence and 

developing our workforce requires 

the attention and dedication of every 

DLA team member. Several of the 2011 

initiatives carry over from the previous 

year’s guidance because I determined a 

need for continued special emphasis in 

these established areas. I encourage you to 

become familiar with the guidance and see 

how vital your participation is the success 

of DLA’s warfighting customers. 

As a result of last year’s guidance, we 

made significant progress in sustaining 

operations in the current operating 

theaters, including support of the troop 

surge in Afghanistan. Key to this effort was 

Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency

Office of Strategic Communications

8725 John J. Kingman Road

Suite 2545

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221

703-767-6200

E-mail: loglines@dla.mil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dla.mil

DLA Director

Navy Vice Adm. Alan S. Thompson

DLA Vice Director

Mae E. DeVincentis 

Chief of Staff

Frederick M. Baillie

Director, Strategic Communications

Douglas Ide

Deputy Director, Strategic Communications

Jack Hooper

Loglines Staff

Managing Editor Kathleen T. Rhem

Editor Heather Athey

Writer Beth Reece

Writer Jonathan Stack

Writer Sara Moore

Layout/Design Paul Henry Crank

Loglines is the authorized publication for the Defense 

Logistics Agency’s workforce of federal civilians, activeduty military and Joint Reserve Force augmentees at 

agency activities worldwide and industry customers of 

DLA. Contents of this publication are not necessarily the 

official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, the 

Department of Defense or the Defense Logistics Agency. 

Loglines is prepared electronically, using desktop publishing applications; no commercial typesetting costs 

are involved. Photos not credited are courtesy of agency 

sources. Submissions and correspondence may be sent 

to the following address:

LOGLINES

Official Flagship Publication of the Defense Logistics Agency

deploying our expeditionary distribution 

capability to Kandahar and establishing a 

footprint for a more permanent, expanded 

depot where we can forward position 

critical supplies. 

On the home front, DLA is less than one 

year away from finishing its implementation 

of Base Realignment and Closure 2005 

recommendations. A part of a larger DoD 

strategy aimed at transforming the military 

into a more agile, flexible force, BRAC 

2005 is also helping make the department 

more efficient, effective and cost-conscious 

in its operations. DLA continues to play 

a collaborative leadership role across the 

global DoD supply chain, and the changes 

we undertake as part of the BRAC process 

are a catalyst for optimizing the logistics 

supply chain.

DLA is home to one of the department’s 

most innovative and knowledgeable workforces, and I have every expectation this 

team will succeed. 

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CONTENTS

Driving Forward  	 	

Annual director’s guidance demonstrates agency achievements, 

commitment to customers, partners, stakeholders.

Marathon Support 	 

Ninety-three agency team members work 24/7 on the ground in 

Afghanistan supporting warfighters.

Closing in 14

Implementing supply, storage recommendations expands agency 

capabilities, adds team members

Winning Team 18

Leaders make organizational culture a high priority, work to enable 

superior agency performance, long-term success.

Buy Local 22

Officials work to alleviate stress on logistics pipeline by buying 

products from countries located along the Northern Distribution 

Network.

Lean Logistics 25

Agency drive for efficiency gaining steam, starting to yield results for 

warfighters.

New Beginning 36

Wounded warriors find new beginning, work as part of agency team.

We are DLA 28

Ten Questions with ... 30

DLA NewsWire 

Money Matters 

I am DLA Back Cover

DEPARTMENTS

November - December 2010

pg 2

pg 8

pg 25

pg 18

2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Book 1.indb 1 10/19/10 8:
2 www.dla.mil

Soldiers onboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft 

prepare to redeploy as part of the drawdown of 

U.S. forces from Iraq. Defense Logistics Agency 

employees with DLA Disposition Services and 

DLA Distribution have worked 24/7 to support 

drawdown efforts.

Air Force Senior Airman Perry Aston

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

might be the prevailing grade 

if Defense Logistics Agency 

employees earned report cards 

tives fall under the scope of Warfighter 

Support Enhancement, and six are under 

Stewardship Excellence. The remaining 

three concern Workforce Development. 

The annual guidance represents the 

agency’s commitment to everyone who 

depends on DLA for logistics support, 

Thompson said in the 14-page document 

circulating agencywide. 

“Our 2011 initiatives tie directly to 

enhancing mission support at the least 

possible cost – balancing effectiveness 

Driving Forward

and efficiency to best meet warfighters’ 

requirements in a period of increasing 

challenges and resource limitations,” the 

director said. 

DLA employees made “significant 

progress” while facing major challenges in 

2010, he continued. As forces prepared for 

the drawdown in Iraq and simultaneously 

built up the force in Afghanistan, DLA 

met unprecedented demands for food, 

fuel, construction material and repair 

parts. Distribution experts worked with 

Story by Beth Reece

“

A

+

”

for the work they do. 

Every member of DLA makes a 

significant contribution to the agency’s 

global mission, DLA Director Navy Vice 

Adm. Alan Thompson said as he released 

his fiscal 2011 Director’s Guidance in 

October. But the coming months will 

bring new demands and challenges, he 

cautioned. 

“We remain a country at war that also 

faces many other significant challenges 

in a constantly evolving economic and 

political environment. ... We expect our 

customers, mission partners and all of 

our stakeholders will ask even more from 

DLA,” he said. 

Thompson’s fiscal 2011 guidance 

includes 19 initiatives, some carried over 

from fiscal 2010 guidance. Ten initiaNavy pilots sit in the cockpit of an F/A-18 Super 

Hornet powered by a 50/50 biofuel blend. The 

military services have relied heavily on Defense 

Logistics Agency Energy to find alternative 

energy solutions to meet their energy needs. 

Continuing partnership with the military 

services is part of DLA’s fiscal 2011 Director’s 

Guidance.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin S. O’Brien

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2011

INITIATIVES

WARFIGHTER SUPPORT ENHANCEMENT

Support expanded current operations in Afghanistan and 

prepare to support the initial drawdown and reset process.

Continue to support Operation New Dawn, including the responsible drawdown in the 

Iraqi theater and related service resets.

Develop and help initiate significant departmental logistics efficiencies that better 

serve our customers and support the secretary of defense’s cost savings and funding 

realignment initiatives.

Improve DLA’s functional integration and mission performance at industrial sites.

Further engage with customers and external stakeholders regarding the full scope of 

DLA’s activities and capabilities.

Provide the military departments a portfolio of contractor logistics support/performancebased logistics and organic support strategies and methodologies to enhance costeffective sustainment of major weapon systems throughout their life cycles.

Partner with the services in developing alternative fuels and renewable energy 

solutions to meet the department’s immediate and future needs.

Lead U.S. government efforts to synchronize in-theater local purchases to meet 

combatant commanders’ objectives regarding economic impact and theater support.

Expand the capabilities of DLA’s Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office 

to strengthen the department’s overseas contract management in support of 

contingency operations.

Continue extensive involvement in the Joint Staff Logistics Directorate’s efforts to 

enhance coordination of joint supply actions and processes.

STEWARDSHIP EXCELLENCE

Capitalize on additional DLA opportunities for logistics efficiency savings while

sustaining effective mission performance.

Pursue price reductions of as much as 10 percent in selected material categories.

Improve detection, deterrence and disposition of non-conforming/counterfeit material.

Continue to achieve significant progress and efficiencies in delivering desired 

functionality for business processes enabled by DLA’s Enterprise Business System 

enhancements.

Meet congressional and DoD inventory management and overall supply chain 

performance criteria. 

Develop DLA enterprise cost and staffing assessment capabilities to facilitate 

improved future opportunities for performance enhancements and additional savings.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Ensure civilian and military workforce capabilities match present and future mission 

requirements through DLA’s talent management initiative.

Support diversity and its related benefits through collaborative efforts focused on 

recruitment, development and retention.

Enhance DLA’s performance- and results-driven culture.

Department of Defense representatives 

to find ways to deliver goods to 

troops despite the difficult terrain in 

Afghanistan, and disposition experts 

made it possible for service members 

to leave Iraq in an environmentally 

responsible manner, he said. 

The agency also continued working 

with the military services toward 

alternative energy solutions and 

maintained a 90 percent readiness level 

for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected 

vehicles and the vehicle’s all-terrain 

variants. 

Clearly, DLA employees know how 

to effectively meet warfighters’ needs, 

Thompson said. But lean times are ahead 

for the agency as it works with the rest of 

DoD to meet Defense Secretary Robert 

Gates’ goal of trimming about $100 

billion in costs over the next five years. 

The director has already announced 

an agencywide effort to identify 

opportunities for reducing the cost of 

products it purchases from industry, a 

goal reflected in fiscal 2011 initiatives.

“We’ve really got to become a more 

efficient logistics enterprise and try to 

reduce costs wherever we can, and again, 

it’s not that Secretary Gates is saying the 

defense budget is going to plummet,” 

Thompson said during the first-ever 

DLA Enterprise Supplier Conference and 

“We’ve got to become a 

more efficient logistics 

enterprise ... to reduce 

costs wherever we can.”

— Navy Vice Adm. 

Alan Thompson

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Exhibition in August. “Certainly, though, 

there is going to be some stress, and he 

would like us – both on the Department 

of Defense side as well as industry – to 

look for innovative ways we can reduce 

sustainment costs and use those funds to 

modernize the force.”

Each of the new initiatives call for 

specific actions from headquarters-level 

organizations and primary-level field 

activities.

“We will pursue these 19 initiatives 

in parallel with ongoing strong support 

of our customers’ operational needs 

and continued progress on other key 

projects,” the director added.

Warfighter Support Enhancement

Meeting warfighters’ logistics needs 

remains DLA’s top priority in fiscal 2011. 

“This includes logistics support of the 

readiness and sustainment of America’s 

warfighters themselves, and of industrial 

activities and others whose own efforts 

are critical to preserving and enhancing 

our nation’s and our allies’ defense 

postures,” Thompson said. 

A mechanic at the Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center, Port Hueneme, Calif., installs a new door handle provided 

by Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime on an up-armored backhoe slated for use by U.S. forces in Southwest Asia. 

The agency outlined its commitment to warfighters in Southwest Asia in the fiscal 2011 Director’s Guidance. 

Natasha Robinson loads hot sauce onto the 

Unitized Group Ration assembly line at DLA 

Distribution Depot San Joaquin, Calif. DLA 

Distribution and DLA Troop Support work 

together to ensure warfighers in Afghanistan 

and Iraq get quality meals.

Nutan Chada

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory N. Juday

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The number one initiative is supporting 

expanded operations in Afghanistan and 

preparing to support the initial drawdown 

there. Efforts will include converting 

DLA’s expeditionary distribution unit in 

Kandahar to a permanent distribution 

depot, enhancing disposal and 

reutilization capabilities, and finding the 

best post-surge balance for delivering 

goods via the Northern Distribution 

Network and through Pakistan.

With the number of troops stationed 

in Iraq now below 50,000, officials said, 

DLA will also continue assisting with the 

drawdown by providing material disposition services and work closely with military maintenance depots as they restore 

equipment to pre-war conditions.

Thompson said he also expects 

the agency to improve performance at 

military industrial sites by better aligning 

DLA’s metrics and goals with those of its 

customers. Such tools as collaborative 

demand planning and the Sales and 

Operations Planning process will help the 

agency meet key performance objectives 

with available resources. And periodic 

updates of the performance-based 

agreements DLA has with each service 

will ensure the agency remains up-todate on each services’ evolving needs and 

performance metrics. 

Other Warfighter Support Enhancement initiatives include continued efforts 

to find alternative fuel solutions, expanding the Joint Contingency Acquisition 

Support Office to strengthen contract 

A contractor refuels a C-5 Galaxy aircraft at Al 

Asad Air Base, Iraq, with fuel procured by Defense Logistics Agency Energy. DLA Director 

Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson reiterated the 

agency’s dedication to warfighters in October 

with his fiscal 2011 Director’s Guidance.

Air Force Senior Airman Perry Aston

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

management for contingency operations, 

and working with the military services to 

improve sustainment of major weapon 

systems throughout their lifecycles.

Stewardship Excellence

Under Stewardship Excellence, 

Thompson said he expects employees 

to become more agile in monitoring 

operational and fiscal performance.

“We continue to assess current and 

potential roles and related processes 

to ensure we deliver maximum payoff 

from taxpayer resources while effectively 

supporting warfighters. This includes due 

consideration of risk-management factors 

such as ensuring spare parts conform to 

established standards and preventing 

compromise of critical information,” 

Thompson said.

The top initiatives in this category 

involve creating new efficiencies that 

save money and incorporating them 

into the annual budget. The agency will 

pursue price reductions of as much as 10 

percent in selected material categories. 

Additionally, staffing models and 

manpower management processes and 

procedures in use throughout the agency 

will undergo review for improvements 

and additional savings.

Officials said a DLA operational 

evaluation team will focus on detection 

of non-conforming and counterfeit 

parts, which include any item, part or 

product packaging with one or more 

characteristics that depart from the 

specification, drawing or product 

description requirements in a contract. 

The team is expected to work with DoD 

and the military services to establish 

practices for preventing, reporting and 

disposing of counterfeit parts.

Other stewardship initiatives include 

improvements to the Enterprise Business 

System, particularly for programs that 

support business processes in the 

procurement of repair parts at military 

maintenance facilities, DLA Energy and 

DLA Disposition Services. 

Workforce Development

The improvements DLA makes in 

Workforce Development will prepare 

employees to meet future challenges, 

Thompson said. “We must further enable 

our workforce to capitalize on their skills, 

experience and potential, and prepare to 

manage the expected workforce transition 

as retirements increase in the years ahead.

“We will also continue efforts to most 

effectively prepare and utilize our workforce to support forward industrial and 

operational sites, including in expeditionary support scenarios,” he continued.

The top goal is ensuring civilian and 

military team members’ capabilities 

match mission requirements through 

the development of career road maps. 

Thompson said he expects the agency 

to refine overall recruitment and training programs to capitalize on the diverse 

backgrounds, skills and potential of 

DLA’s workforce.

Results from the November culture 

survey will also be used to further 

improve DLA’s culture and its impact on 

employees’ ability to perform their best, 

officials said.

The director urged employees, 

customers and suppliers to do their part 

in helping the agency succeed.

“If you work at DLA, consider how 

you can contribute directly to one or 

more of these initiatives. If you are a 

customer, see how they impact your 

needs and hold us to our commitments. 

If you are a supplier or other partner, 

look for ways you can assist us in making 

significant progress on these initiatives,” 

he said. 

The Defense Logistics Agency will pursue price reductions of 

as much as 10 percent in selected material categories.

An Airman marshals a Mine Resistant, Ambush 

Protected all-terrain vehicle into a C-17 

Globemaster III aircraft on Charleston Air Force 

Base, S.C. Support of the armored vehicles is 

a continuing effort at the Defense Logistics 

Agency. 

James M. Bowman

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Marines moving along 

Afghanistan’s treacherous 

dirt roads use mine roller 

systems hooked to the front 

of their tactical vehicles to 

trigger improvised explosive devices. 

The systems are considered so effective 

in saving lives that when a unit at an 

outlying operating base near Camp 

Leatherneck, Afghanistan, lacked the 

parts to repair damaged rollers, ground 

missions ceased. 

Ryan Holstine, the Defense Logistics 

Agency warfighter support representative 

deployed alongside the unit, knew the 

parts weren’t expected to arrive for 

another two months. Rather than let 

the Marines wait, Holstine reached 

back to his DLA Land and Maritime 

counterparts, who negotiated an earlier 

shipment with the vendor.

 “Moving the estimated shipping date 

shortened the length of time the Marines 

were unable to run their missions to 10 

days versus the 60-plus days that they 

would have been down,” he said. 

Holstine is one of 93 DLA support team 

members on the ground in Afghanistan, 

working seven days a week to help 

warfighters get the supplies they need. 

DLA’s presence in the country was 

mostly Bagram-centric when the war 

began, but has transformed to meet the 

growing force structure, said Army Col. 

Michael Bird, who has lead DLA Central 

Marathon Support

Story by Beth Reece

A 7-ton vehicle with a mine roller system passes 

by a patrol base in Helmand province, Afghanistan. 

Warfighter Support Representative Ryan Holstine has 

helped Marines near Camp Leatherneck get critical 

parts to repair damaged rollers, which protect vehicles 

and their occupants from explosive devices.

Photo by Marine Lance Cpl. James Purschwitz

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from its headquarters at MacDill Air 

Force Base, Fla., since August 2009. 

“Things have rapidly changed with the 

surge, and we’ve realized the need to move 

the DST throughout this geographically 

challenging country,” he said. 

Today, members of DLA Support 

Team – Afghanistan are scattered 

throughout the country. The DST is led 

by Army Col. Gary Andrews in Kabul, 

with additional detachments led by Army 

Lt. Col. Alex Zotomayor in Kandahar and 

by Army Col. George Smith in Bagram.

“The folks in our DST are the center 

of gravity for warfighter support ... the 

real strength of DLA Central,” Bird said.

Supporting the buildup of 30,000 

additional forces in Afghanistan has 

been a process of “opening the valve and 

increasing the volume” of material that’s 

streamed into the country since troops 

first arrived there in October 2001, DLA 

Director Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson 

said in a recent interview with the 

Pentagon Channel.

The agency met unparalleled 

demands this year for housing units 

known as relocatable buildings and such 

construction-related material as lumber, 

generators, lighting and plumbing parts, 

showers, toilets and water-well drilling 

kits. It also supplied force-protection 

items like concertina wire, sandbags and 

bastions.

DLA Troop Support purchased 

enough construction material to fill more 

than 7,000 20-foot shipping containers to 

support the buildup, Bird said. About 87 

Navy Seabees direct a crane while moving a 

relocatable building in Kandahar, Afghanistan. 

Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support has 

purchased enough construction material to fill 

4,000 20-foot shipping containers to support 

the buildup in Afghanistan.

Navy Seaman Apprentice Gregory Kaminski

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percent has arrived in Afghanistan, and 

13 percent is en route along the Northern 

Distribution Network. The NDN is a 

critical series of rail, water and road links 

enabling transport of goods to U.S. and 

NATO troops serving in Afghanistan. 

The material is prepositioned in 

warehouses run by Supreme, the prime 

vendor responsible for supplying food to 

U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and material 

is shipped out as units request it.

“This brings the material closer to the 

fight,” Bird said.

This eliminates the need for the services’ field support activities to deal with 

large inventories of bulky items, he said.

DLA Distribution Europe, located at 

Germersheim, Germany, was responsible 

for packing the containers with items in 

high demand but short supply.

“We’re finding that warfighters are 

short certain material, so the latter 

packs will be tailored with more items 

like three-quarter-inch plywood, for 

example,” he added.

 As the construction of forward 

oper-ating bases nears completion at the 

end of this year, Zotomayor said DLA 

will continue providing supplies for the 

buildup of remote contingency outposts.

“These contingency outposts are 

offshoots of the FOBs and will be 

instrumental in contingency operations 

currently being planned,” he said. “So 

there will still be a requirement for construction material and barriers, as well as 

supplies for tactical operations centers – 

mostly items managed by DLA.”

Getting Food Forward

Subsistence planners with DLA 

Troop Support partnered with prime 

vendor Supreme early in the year to 

increase food deliveries, especially for 

troops located in hard to reach locations, 

Andrews said. Between 70 to 95 percent 

of bottled water consumed by troops each 

week is supplied by two bottled water 

plants in Kabul, and a Coca-Cola bottling 

plant provides 100 percent of the CocaNavy Seabees drill a well at a combat outpost 

in Afghanistan. Water-well drilling kits were a 

frequently requested by construction crews 

building up Afghanistan’s infrastructure this 

year.

A Marine carries a box of sports drinks to the 

dining facility at his base in the Nawa district 

of Helmand province, Afghanistan. Almost 

everything warfighters consume in Iraq and 

Afghanistan is provided by Defense Logistics 

Agency Troop Support.

Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip Elgie

Navy Chief Petty Officer Ryan C. Delcore

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Marines traverse a canal on the outskirts of 

the Garmisr district of Helmand province, 

Afghanistan, in order to provide food and repair 

parts supplied by the Defense Logistics Agency 

to fellow Marines. 

— Photo by Marine Lance Cpl. Paul Fajardo

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Cola products troops consume. 

Agriculture in Afghanistan is “very 

third world,” Andrews said, so Supreme 

buys fresh fruits and vegetables from 

a worldwide market. Produce is grown 

locally, “but they have no way to transport it and no way to prepare it.” 

When they have excess, it basically 

just rots in the fields,” he added.

DLA is working in Kabul with military 

leaders, the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. 

Agency for International Development to 

support creation of processing plants that 

would buy produce from Afghan farmers, clean it, package it and ship it in bulk 

quantities.

“Hopefully some of that would go to 

us, but more importantly, it would help 

the Afghans establish an overseas market 

for the produce they can’t use internally. 

It has great potential,” Andrews said.

Supplying Hot Air

The increasing use of aerostat 

balloons, or small blimps tethered to a 

ground station, that provide surveillance 

and reconnaissance capabilities has 

caused a soaring need for helium, he 

added. DLA Energy met early demands 

by flying it into country.

“Obviously, it’s very expensive, and as 

we get the total number of these aerostats 

into country and up and running, it’s not 

realistic to expect the Air Force to fly that 

much helium in,” Andrews said. 

Instead, DLA Energy contracted to 

establish helium transfer facilities in 

Bagram and Kandahar. These facilities 

take liquid helium shipped via ground 

and convert it to gas, then transfer it 

where needed. 

Maintaining Mobility

Support for the new all-terrain Mine 

Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle also 

continues to be a success. DLA Land and 

Maritime has maintained an above-90-

percent readiness level of the vehicle, 

which is a lighter version of the MRAP 

and allows troops to travel off-road. 

“To give you an idea of how bad the 

roads are, when they bring ballots back 

from the election, some of those ballots 

come back via donkey because they can’t 

get here with a truck. The big thing with 

the MATVs is that they give our troops 

the ability to get off roads,” Andrews said.

Members of a special DLA MRAP 

support team located in Bagram and 

Kandahar have worked directly with 

the Army’s 43rd and 82nd sustainment 

brigades to ensure repair parts are 

available, added John Dreska, DLA 

MRAP project manager. Other members 

are located at the MRAP Joint Program 

Office, military maintenance facilities and 

manufacturing facilities. 

“We believe that blanket coverage 

helps us to address issues immediately 

and find solutions even quicker,” Dreska 

said. “And we believe we’re all making 

a difference in the protection of our 

military members.”

Distributing Success

In July, DLA Distribution made history 

by deploying its expeditionary distribution 

team of 42 military and civilian members 

to receive, store and issue DLA material 

from Kandahar. Having an in-theater depot 

allows DLA to forward-stock items already 

in high demand and reduce delivery times 

from about two weeks or more to just hours 

or days.

The forward stock managed by the 

expeditionary team reduced DLA’s need 

for strategic airlift by about 38 percent, 

said Navy Rear Adm. Thomas Traaen, 

DLA Distribution commander. Plans are 

under way to transition the expeditionary 

depot into a more enduring facility over 

the next year and involve construction of 

a $20 million warehouse.

While continuing to sustain forces 

and equipment, DLA will also expand 

disposition and demilitarization services 

available in Bagram, Kandahar and 

Camp Leatherneck. The disposition yard 

in Kandahar will likely play a key role 

in the turn-in of serviceable equipment 

as troops begin redeploying because of 

its colocation with DLA Distribution, 

Driven by increased use of aerostats for surveillance, demand for helium has soared in 

Afghanistan. 

Marine Cpl. Lindsay L. Sayres

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

“We have a great reputation here 

among warfighters, to the point where 

they’ll look to us for assistance even when 

they need a product we don’t manage,” 

he said. 

One unit recently requested fuel 

pumps, for example. Instead of telling the 

customer it wasn’t a DLA-managed item, 

Warfighter Support Representative Andy 

Whatley did an asset visibility check and 

found several available in Army stock.

Andrews said. 

“Once we begin the drawdown, they 

will probably accept serviceable goods 

back into the system through the depot 

and then redistribute worldwide wherever 

they’re needed,” he said.

Building Trust

Whether building up or tearing 

down, DLA has become a trusted source 

among warfighters, Zotomayor added.

“That’s the typical attitude of every 

DLA team member here,” Zotomayor 

said. “They understand their role here is 

to support warfighters, and many times 

they go out of their way to provide that 

support.” 

A Marine uses repair parts provided by 

Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime 

to repair an all-terrain Mine Resistant Ambush 

Protected vehicle at Camp Leatherneck, 

Afghanistan. 

Marine Sgt. Brandon M. Owen

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Closing In

Story by Sara Moore

A

lot can change in five years. 

Since the Defense Logistics 

Agency began implementing 

the supply and storage recommendations from the 2005 Base 

Realignment and Closure Act it has expanded its capabilities, assuming new responsibilities from the military services. 

In a Logpoints newsletter sent to DLA 

team members this fall, DLA Director 

Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson said 

BRAC 2005 “started a revolution at 

DLA,” noting the new missions and capabilities the agency has gained.

These recommendations gave DLA 

new responsibilities, such as managing 

procurement of depot-level reparables 

across all military services, delivering 

parts directly to industrial depot maintenance production lines, and managing 

private vendor contracts for supply of 

commodity products. 

As DLA enters its final year for implementing the BRAC 2005 recommendations, the agency, working together with 

its military service counterparts, is on 

target to meet the deadline of implementing by Sept. 15, 2011.

More Missions

The supply and storage recommendations in the legislation are: supply, storage 

and distribution management reconfiguration; depot-level reparable procurement 

management consolidation; and 

commodity management privatization.

The over-arching goal of these 

recommendations is to increase efficiency 

and effectiveness of logistics support to 

DLA’s customers – the warfighters, said 

Redding Hobby, executive director of 

DLA Strategic Programs and Initiatives.

“These realignments and consolidations of, first of all, the people and 

secondly, the functions, and finally, the 

consolidation of inventory gives us a way 

to better affect support to warfighters,” 

Hobby said. 

As these responsibilities were 

transferred from the military services 

to DLA, personnel were transferred in 

place, meaning they stayed in the same 

duty location, and in most cases their 

responsibilities remained the same. 

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michele A. Desrochers

A Soldier pressure washes tires for turnin at the motorpool vehicle maintenance 

section at Multinational Base Tarin Kowt, 

Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. Privatizing tire 

management was part of Base Realignment 

and Closure 2005 legislation recommendations.

Book 1.indb 14 10/19/10 8:
Loglines Loglines l November - December 2010 November - December 2010 15

Air Force Staff Sgt. David J. Murphy

An Airman retracts the blades of an HH-60 Pave 

Hawk helicopter in preparation for transport. Air 

Force team members are among 2,400 people 

transferred to the Defense Logistics Agency 

under Base Realignment and Closure 2005 

implementations.

Book 1.indb 15 10/19/10 8:
16 www.dla.mil

Army Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills

Almost 2,400 people have transferred to 

DLA from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps 

and Air Force. By September 2011, when 

the BRAC recommendations are fully 

implemented, nearly 2,600 employees 

will have transferred.

“The most important benefit they 

bring is their background and experience 

from the service culture where they came 

into federal service,” Hobby said. 

He said he has interacted with new 

employees in the field, and they all seem 

happy to be working for DLA and excited 

about the mission. 

“It’s not just rhetoric to say that 

without question, truly the most valuable commodity that we manage is our 

people,” Hobby said. 

Tony Abate, a supervisory 

contract specialist at DLA Maritime 

in Mechanicsburg, Pa., was one of the 

employees who transferred to DLA 

as a result of BRAC. Abate worked 

for the Navy for 29 years before the 

responsibility for procuring depot-level 

reparable items was transferred to DLA 

and the detachment at Mechanicsburg 

was established in November 2008. 

Transferring the function to DLA has 

improved procurement of depot-level 

reparables, Abate said. Because DLA 

buys such large quantities of items, it can 

leverage its purchasing power to lower 

costs and improve delivery times, he said, 

citing the example of a strategic supplier 

alliance DLA Land and Maritime set up 

with Raytheon for circuit card assemblies. 

The BRAC initiatives that have been 

implemented so far are “just the tip of the 

iceberg,” he said, and as all detachments 

come online and technology improves 

and becomes available, procurement processes will become more efficient.

“Having only been involved with DLA 

for a couple of years, I think this is going 

to explode as the technology ... becomes 

available to us,” he said. “We don’t use 

DLA’s procurement system yet – that’s 

going to be coming next year. I think once 

we’re online with that, it will streamline 

our processes.”

DLA Maritime in Mechanicsburg is 

one of the DLA detachments for depotlevel reparable procurement established 

as a result of BRAC 2005. Seven of those 

detachments are online now, with the 

remaining two DLR procurement activities scheduled to complete stand-up this 

fiscal year. 

DLA is also setting up sites to support its new mission of delivering parts 

directly to industrial depot maintenance 

customers. As of October, 11 of the 

planned 13 supply, storage and distribution sites were activated. In addition, 

item-management responsibility for more 

than 71,000 consumable national stock 

Procurement of depot-level reparables, 

such as the Kiowa Warrior helicopter engine 

pictured here, is being transferred from 

separate Defense Department organizations 

to the Defense Logistics Agency under Base 

Realignment and Closure 2005.

“Because the Defense 

Logistics Agency buys 

such large quantities, 

... it can leverage its 

buying power to lower 

costs.”

— Tony Abate

Book 1.indb 16 10/19/10 8:
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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

numbers has been transferred to DLA 

from the services, and the agency is managing vendor supply support contracts 

for three commodity lines: packaged 

petroleum, oil and lubricant products 

and chemicals; most tires; and certain 

compressed and liquefied gases and their 

cylinders. 

Implementing the BRAC 2005 recommendations has been complex and challenging, but the process is on track for 

completion by September 2011, Hobby 

said. The time window for implementation has been a big challenge, he said, 

especially as DLA has had to balance this 

realignment with challenging logistics 

operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Catalyst for Change

The increase in human capital, 

along with transfer of functions from 

the military services has motivated DLA 

to improve its management practices, 

specifically its inventory and stock 

positioning and demand planning. 

Hobby said he believes BRAC 2005 

will be a catalyst for future changes in 

the way DLA does business. Providing 

supply, storage and distribution for the 

military services gives the agency a more 

holistic view of logistics expenses, he 

said, and the successes achieved at BRAC 

sites can be applied to other DLA sites to 

garner efficiencies. 

“Most of it will be an over-time savings that we have, being able to purchase 

in economies of scale, store and distribute 

property based on better demand planning, inventory management and stock 

positioning,” he said. “So it will be an 

advantage and an efficiency that we will 

gain over time. But that’s good, because 

it’s not just a quick fix ... it is a longstanding and enduring policy change 

and practice and business change for 

the agency using the BRAC catalyst as 

the motivation and impetus to do that.”

Thompson agreed that BRAC 2005 

will be a catalyst for future changes at 

the agency and that the changes will 

help the agency improve its operations 

and better support warfighters.

“Completing BRAC 2005 brings 

us to the beginning of a more 

important journey, fully realizing our 

accomplishments with supply and 

storage implementation while moving 

closer to the integrated supply chain 

operation that DoD leadership 

envisioned,” the admiral said. “In 

terms of achieving the efficiencies 

intended, we have only just begun.”

“With the BRAC implementation 

efforts, as with all that we do to support 

warfighters, our focus remains the same – 

to continue to transform DLA into an ever 

more agile, innovative and valued logistics 

partner,” he said. “Our warfighters deserve 

our best effort; BRAC 2005 is helping us to 

give them just that.” 

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Don Sutherland

An F-15A Eagle aircraft is overhauled at the 

Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. Warner 

Robins was the first Air Force logistics 

center to implement the Base Realignment 

and Closure 2005 recommendations.

Book 1.indb 17 10/19/10 8:
18 www.dla.mil

2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Story by Sara Moore

Winning Team

A

nthropologists claim a country’s 

culture can be defined by the 

combination of beliefs, traditions 

and customs that shape how its 

people live. 

In the same way, the culture of a 

business or organization defines the way 

an institution functions and interacts 

with peers and can determine long-term 

success or failure.

Over the years, Defense Logistics 

Agency leaders said they have made it a 

high priority to analyze and improve the 

agency’s culture with the aim of enabling 

superior employee performance and 

improving operations enterprisewide.

“The culture of DLA is one of the 

significant enablers of all our other 

business-related initiatives,” said Laura 

Lippert-Jensen, program manager for 

DLA’s culture survey program. “It’s the 

foundation for how we do work here on a 

daily basis. A strong culture enables us to 

achieve all our other initiatives.”

DLA has used an employee survey 

program since 1996 to assess the agency’s 

culture and look for areas ripe for 

improvement. Initially, the survey was 

developed internally as a diversity survey, 

Lippert-Jensen said, and later evolved 

into a climate survey in 2000, with 

emphasis placed on measuring areas like 

trust, communication and leadership. 

In 2003, DLA adopted the Denison 

Culture Model, which measures four 

traits of culture and leadership – mission, 

adaptability, involvement and consistency 

– to help the agency attain and maintain 

a culture of high performance, she said. 

DLA now conducts culture surveys 

every 18 months. The surveys are open 

to all agency employees, civilian and 

military, and some foreign nationals in 

locations outside the U.S., Lippert-Jensen 

said. Although the surveys are voluntary, 

the agency traditionally has a 75 percent 

response rate, which is virtually unheard 

of with these types of surveys, she said. 

“The leadership really encourages 

people to share their feedback,” she 

said. “It’s been deemed important by the 

leadership to spend the time and effort 

to get their feedback to look for ways to 

make changes.”

The Denison model gives each 

directorate and field activity within DLA 

a culture score based on the results in 

each of the four traits, with each trait 

broken down into three indices. 

These scores help give a picture of 

where the agency stands, Lippert-Jensen 

said, but the goal of these surveys is not 

Improving the way the Defense Logistics 

Agency does business and the services it 

provides to warfighters is the goal of every 

Defense Logistics Agency initiative.

Courtesy Photo

Book 1.indb 18 10/19/10 8:
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Book 1.indb 19 10/19/10 8:
20 www.dla.mil

The Defense Logistics Agency conducts 

surveys every 18 months to measure its 

organizational culture and look for areas for 

improvement. The surveys rely on the input of 

employees in the field to help the agency attain 

and maintain a culture of high performance.

“The goal is to show that the results 

aren’t just for the leadership, but that 

they are for the workforce as well,” she 

said. “The focus is really on saying, ‘Here, 

you provided us your feedback and here’s 

what the collective responses were.’”

Words into Action

Over the years, many improvements 

and projects have been born as a result 

of the culture surveys, said Sandi Miller, 

staff director for human capital development. Most of these projects happen at 

the local level within each activity, she 

said, but there are some enterprise-level 

initiatives that have their roots in the 

culture surveys. 

For example, she said, the Enterprise 

Leader Development Program was established based on survey results.

“One of the things our surveys told us 

was we needed to improve the quality of 

leadership at DLA,” she said. “And you 

know, leadership is a driver or enabler 

to improving culture as well as organizational performance.”

Over-arching programs like the ELDP 

are important because they effect leadership enterprisewide, Lippert-Jensen said, 

but another huge benefit of the culture 

survey program has been the increased 

awareness it has brought to managers at 

all levels. 

Leaders who benefit the most from 

the program are those who take the 

results to heart and accept them, whether 

they’re good or bad, and use them to 

make targeted improvements to their 

unit, she said. She pointed to anecdotal 

results from the agency’s field activities 

regarding units that started out with low 

scores, made real improvements over the 

years and now have a positive reputation 

and satisfied employees.

“I think when management and 

employees understand the intent 

of the survey they use the results as 

they’re meant to be used: to help the 

organization perform better to meet our 

customers’ needs. I think that once they 

get on board, not only do they use it to 

improve their organization, but they are 

The Defense Logistics Agency uses the 

Denison Culture Model to measure its 

performance in four traits of culture and 

leadership: mission, adaptability, involvement 

and consistency.

just to get high scores and make the 

agency look good.

“The goal is to see where we’re doing 

well, where we need improvement and to 

get a reading on some areas in which we 

need improvement,” she said. 

After the results are compiled, they 

are released in a cascading fashion, 

from the DLA director down to the 

senior leadership at each directorate 

or field activity, then down to the 

workforce, Lippert-Jensen said. At the 

same time, each activity is required to 

assemble an action plan based on its 

particular results, with areas targeted 

for improvement, she said. These action 

plans are made public and updated 

regularly to show employees how 

feedback is used.

Courtesy Photo

Book 1.indb 20 10/19/10 8:
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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

champions for it within the organization,” 

Lippert-Jensen said. 

Collaboration is Key

Culture surveys also foster 

collaboration between managers and 

leaders at each directorate and field 

activity, she said. Many sites require 

managers to come together and discuss 

the survey results and develop action 

plans, she said. This gives leaders a larger 

view of problems they may be facing and 

lets them learn from each other about 

possible solutions.

“I think a lot of the benefit comes 

from management hearing from other 

managers that they’re struggling with the 

same thing and what they’ve done to fix 

things,” she said. “They may not cover 

everything, but it’s at least another forum 

to get groups to collaborate.”

Another initiative DLA is pursuing 

to foster collaboration and workforce 

development is development of labormanagement forums. These forums, 

which were established by an executive 

order signed by President Barack Obama 

in December 2009, are expected to 

involve labor union representatives early 

on in all workplace matters, including 

development of new initiatives. 

DLA leadership signed an agreement 

in September with American Federation 

of Government Employees Council 169 to 

establish the forum at the headquarters 

level, said Pam Molloy, staff director of 

human resources labor and employee 

relations. Labor management forums will 

be set up at all field activities by the end 

of this year, after managers and union 

representatives are trained in how the 

process will work, she said. 

About 19,000 of DLA’s employees are 

represented by a union; most are covered 

by the AFGE. 

These new forums will encourage 

more interaction between union 

representatives and managers by 

requiring unions be given pre-decisional 

involvement in all workplace matters 

affecting bargaining unit employees, 

Molloy said. 

DLA has always been required 

to bargain with the unions on many 

workplace matters, she said, but in the 

past the bargaining was done after the 

agency had already developed an idea or 

initiative. 

“This expands the scope of 

bargaining,” she said. “It’s going to keep 

the parties talking. It’s going to allow 

them to have a voice.”

Another aspect of pre-decisional 

involvement is that the unions can 

develop their own ideas for improvements and bring them to the agency 

for consideration, Molloy said. This 

will give employees the chance to contribute directly to making their unit or 

organization better, she said, and will 

open the door for potential improvements 

in how the agency serves warfighters. 

Improving the way DLA does business 

is always the bottom line, and efforts that 

involve employees in decision making 

contribute to a positive organizational 

culture. This creates an important 

foundation for an efficient, effective 

agency, Lippert-Jensen said. 

“While focusing on culture is seen as a 

separate initiative, it’s also the foundation 

and the basis for our success as an 

agency,” she said. “It’s tied to all of our 

business practices, how we do business 

on a day-to-day basis.” 

Having an organizational culture focused on 

trust, communication and leadership helps the 

Defense Logistics Agency deliver high-quality 

products and services to warfighters.

Nutan Chada

Book 1.indb 21 10/19/10 8:
22 www.dla.mil

2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Book 1.indb 22 10/19/10 8:
Loglines Loglines l November - December 2010 November - December 2010 23

Buy Local

T

raffic jams are a daily source of 

frustration in the Washington, D.C., 

and other major U.S. metropolitan 

areas. But that type of congestion 

isn’t limited to the states. 

Logjams are also a source of consternation among military logisticians trying 

to get supplies into Afghanistan, where 

a large volume of supplies transiting a 

limited number of entry points can cause 

logistics gridlock. 

Defense Logistics Agency officials 

are trying to alleviate some of the stress 

on the logistics pipeline known as the 

Northern Distribution Network by buying 

products from countries located along the 

supply route. 

The NDN is a network of railway 

lines running from the Baltic port of 

Riga, Latvia, through Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before crossing the 

Afghan border. The supply line serves as 

an alternative to the vulnerable ground 

route following the Karachi-Peshawar 

road through Pakistan that had been 

used since 2001 to resupply U.S. forces in 

Afghanistan.

Story by Jonathan Stack

“There is a great need to purchase 

products [locally] so we can better use 

the NDN and get our products flowing in 

Afghanistan quickly and on time,” said 

Richard Faso, DLA Troop Support customer operations, subsistence director. 

“Buying products in the area will 

free up transportation pipelines and 

take away some of the congestion at the 

ports,” Faso said.

DLA could possibly receive a better 

price, reduced transportation costs, 

reduced delivery time and a better 

relationship between the U.S. and these 

countries through this type of local purchase program, he said.

Throughout the past year, agency 

leaders have traveled to Kazakhstan, 

Uzbekistan and Latvia to meet with U.S. 

embassy and local officials to determine 

feasibility of commodity purchases 

in those countries. Representatives 

from the countries have also visited 

DLA Headquarters to meet with senior 

officials, gain knowledge of the agency 

and discuss what products could be 

sourced from their home countries.

Officials said DLA has given the countries’ representatives a list of items the 

agency currently provides to customers in 

Afghanistan, items that could potentially 

be purchased from those countries along 

the NDN. 

“We’re trying to foster relationships 

and gain an understanding of what they 

might have to offer beyond what we’re 

purchasing today,” Faso said. 

DLA currently purchases water, various pasta products, fruit and juice from 

companies in Uzbekistan; water from 

firms in Kazakhstan; and water, ice and 

soda from Afghan businesses. 

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Alan 

Thompson and a team traveled to Latvia 

in September to participate in Latvia 

Industry Days, held in the nation’s 

capital of Riga. Officials from DLA and 

the General Services Administration 

educated representatives from Latvian 

firms on how to bid for U.S. contracts 

and answered specific questions related 

to individual businesses.

Another event goal was to help 

Latvian companies provide goods that 

meet DLA’s quality standards at a 

competitive price, Thompson said.

“Trips like [the one to Latvia] are 

necessary because the interaction is a 

critical piece of getting products into 

Afghanistan,” Faso said. 

A key part of discussions held during 

Industry Days was to make each step 

of the process as straightforward as 

possible and help companies learn how 

to effectively do business with DLA, 

Thompson said. 

The admiral stressed two points to 

event attendees: products provided must 

meet DLA’s quality standards, and goods 

must be supplied at a competitive price. 

“We have to make sure the products 

meet our requirements for our customers,” 

Faso said. “Not that the product isn’t good, 

it just might not be what our customers 

have grown accustomed to, and at the 

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Peter Johnson, 

72nd Medical Detachment Veterinary Services, 

tours a water bottling plant in Afghanistan that 

could potentially provide water to U.S. forces. 

The Defense Logistics Agency is currently trying to buy products from countries within the 

Northern Distribution Network.

Air Force 2nd Lt. Jason Smith Book 1.indb 23 10/19/10 8:
24 www.dla.mil

same time we have to make sure we keep 

cost about the same.”

The U.S. is appreciative of Latvia’s 

support of the NDN, Thompson said, and 

the agency is committed to providing 

resources and reaching out to Latvian 

firms so they can compete for business on 

a global level.

Members of the agency’s Joint 

Contingency Acquisition Support Office 

accompanied the DLA director on the trip 

to Latvia to provide specific guidance to 

the firms.

“We were creating the opportunity 

to help educate the local vendors and to 

educate ourselves on their capabilities,” 

said Matthew Beebe, JCASO executive 

director. “We educated them on our processes because U.S. government contracting may be different than the processes to 

which they might be accustomed.”

Beebe said that after discussing the 

agency’s goals for local purchases and explaining to potential suppliers how to do 

business with DLA, one-on-one meetings 

were set up for the vendors to present 

the agency with their capabilities and ask 

specific questions. 

“We will follow up with the most 

promising firms that meet our requirements,” he said. 

Not only is it important for these 

countries to learn how to conduct business with DLA, but it is important for 

DLA to learn the business practices of 

these countries.

“There are business-development 

conferences DLA team members have 

attended to gain understanding of not 

only what is available in a particular 

country, but what type of business 

strategy you have to use,” Faso said.

He said it’s important to know the 

process for dealing with manufacturers in 

each country because each nation has a 

slightly different way of doing business. 

“We really want to establish a longterm relationship with these countries,” 

said Kevin Burke, JCASO deputy policy 

manager. “We aren’t just coming in to 

buy anything they have and throw money 

toward their firms.”

For example, he said, it wouldn’t 

benefit either side if the agency were to 

buy three truckloads of lumber once and 

not buy from a company again. 

“We want long-term, valued partners, 

which is why we are willing to spend 

some time and get the best firms on a 

long-term basis so they can continue 

supporting us,” Burke said. “From their 

perspective, supporting U.S. and NATO 

forces in Afghanistan can lead to supporting forces elsewhere.” 

Sourcing supplies for U.S. forces 

in Afghanistan is DLA’s top priority, 

Thompson said during the Latvia event. 

But the agency is also looking for good, 

enduring sources from which to supply troops in Western Europe and those 

engaged in military exercises in the 

area. This type of local procurement for 

construction materials and fresh fruits 

and vegetables was done for joint military 

exercise Baltic Host, held in May. 

Officials said the agency team is 

already seeing a payoff from work done 

by DLA prime vendors at Industry Days: 

DLA will make its first buy of water from 

a Latvian vendor to meet a requirement 

for Operation Sabre Strike, held in the 

Baltic state in the fall.

The water and other products DLA 

is sourcing from the NDN countries 

supplement rather than replace products 

the agency is already purchasing in the 

United States, Beebe said. 

“From an overall volume point of 

view, it’s important for the mission, but 

the bulk of the products are still coming 

from the U.S.,” he said. 

Burke said the volume of products 

supplied by countries along the NDN 

and items the agency hopes to buy in 

the future will provide local economic 

benefits, but the quantity, is still a small 

percentage of the total goods traveling via 

the supply network.

“Economic benefits for that country 

are great, but in the end, we are doing 

this for the mission,” Burke said. 

Editor’s note: Heather Athey contributed to this article. 

The Northern Distribution Network is a railway 

line running from the Baltic Port of Riga, Latvia, 

through Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan 

before crossing the Afghan border. The supply 

line serves as an alternative to the vulnerable 

ground route through Pakistan.

Paul Henry Crank

The Northern Distribution Network

Book 1.indb 24 10/19/10 8:
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D

efense Secretary Robert Gates’ 

drive for efficiency is gaining 

steam at the Defense Logistics 

Agency as team members work 

to translate Director Navy Vice 

Adm. Alan Thompson’s fiscal 2011 Director’s Guidance into results for warfighters. 

“We’ve really got to become a more 

efficient logistics enterprise and try to 

reduce costs wherever we can – look 

for innovative ways that we can reduce 

sustainment costs and use those funds 

to modernize the force,” Thompon said 

in August at the 2010 DLA Enterprise 

Supplier Conference and Exhibition. 

In the guidance, Thompson outlines 

his plan to develop and help initiate 

significant departmental logistics efficiencies that better serve agency customers 

and meet Gates’ goal of achieving a more 

cost-conscious business model.

As part of that plan, the agency is 

working to continue its partnership 

with the military services to enhance 

engineering support. 

Engineering support impacts DLA’s 

ability to procure weapon-system parts 

and other critical application items. 

“We receive engineering support 

from the military services for the 

weapon system-coded items we buy,” 

2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Lean

Logistics

Story by Jonathan Stack

said Christine Metz, DLA 

technical and quality 

policy chief. 

“That’s a lot of our 

hardware stuff.” 

She said DLA 

doesn’t have 

design control 

for these items, 

which means 

the agency goes 

to the military 

services if any 

An Iraqi armor school student hands a U.S. Soldier 

a Sabot round to be loaded in a M1A1 Abrams tank. 

Iraqis are being trained on the M1A1 Abrams tank in 

preparation of receiving tanks through the Foreign Military Sales Program, a program the Defense Logistics 

Agency helps support.

— Photo by Evan Loyd

Book 1.indb 25 10/19/10 8:
26 www.dla.mil

changes to the design are requested by 

the supplier, if the part doesn’t have a 

supplier and a source is needed, or if 

there are questions about the technical 

data. 

“Then we have to go to the engineering/design control activity, which is 

within the services,” Metz said. “We really 

have to partner with those design control 

activities in order to get the right part for 

the customer.”

When this engineering support is 

needed during the acquisition process, 

it can affect the agency’s lead times and 

ability to get products to warfighters, she 

said.

To better support agency customers, 

DLA leaders have signed performancebased agreements with the Army, Navy, 

Air Force and Marine Corps. The PBAs 

establish a framework for customer and 

supplier expectations, responsibilities 

and performance between DLA and each 

of the military services. 

“We ... have partnered with all the 

services to develop standard business 

rules, standard process for funding and 

came together to agree on how we’re 

going to be forecasting our demand for 

engineering support in the future,” Metz 

said. 

The PBAs derive from the Joint 

Engineering Support Instruction, a newly 

negotiated agreement detailing how the 

services will provide engineering support 

to DLA.

“It’s a high-level, engineering support 

instruction that has all the guidance that 

we’ve agreed to,” she said.

These documents explain how the 

agency is going to pay for engineering 

support, establish performance goals 

and clearly define metrics, said Manuel 

Ferreira, DLA engineering support 

program manager

“Through the [PBAs], we really found 

out there was a lot of common ground; 

everyone came to the table really wanting 

to support warfighters,” he said. “These 

policy documents allowed for change to 

happen.”

Metz said that over the years, the 

agency has encountered challenges in 

working with the military services because there weren’t a lot of business rules 

both sides agreed upon.

“The most important thing is ... we 

really changed our relationship with the 

military service engineering support activities,” she said. “We now have a more 

cooperative relationship.”

She said it is a huge step forward in 

addressing something that has been a 

problem area for DLA. 

“Just by working together and agreeing on some standards of operation ... 

we can concentrate on the technical and 

engineering aspects of the work we do 

together,” she said.

 Metz said this partnership between 

DLA and the services will be positive 

because it will impact the agency’s 

customers – warfighters – by not only 

improving the time it takes to receive 

products but also improving the quality 

of these products. 

Five-ton trucks delivered to the Iraqi army sit at 

Al Muthanna Vehicle Warehouse. The vehicles 

were purchased through the Foreign Military 

Sales Program, which enables the government 

of Iraq to purchase military equipment and 

supplies from the United States.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Frost

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2011 DIRECTOR’S GUIDANCE

Foreign Military Sales

Another of the director’s plans of 

action to develop logistics efficiencies is 

to leverage partnerships with others in 

the Defense Department to expand DLA’s 

effectiveness in gaining and supporting 

Foreign Military Sales business.

The FMS program allows eligible foreign governments to purchase U.S. government vehicles, equipment and other 

goods and services for their militaries. 

The foreign governments pay total costs, 

and all deals are marked by a signed 

government-to-government agreement.

The Army, Air Force and Navy 

oversee cases involving service-managed 

equipment. 

“We have partnerships with the 

international logistics control offices with 

each of the military services, because 

we support the military services in their 

administration of Foreign Military Sales,” 

said Michael Van House, DLA’s deputy 

chief of military service support.

When a foreign government buys 

weapons systems from the United States, 

one of the military services is designated 

an executive agent for that sale. DLA typically is involved by providing spare parts 

to go along with those systems. 

“By us maintaining a liaison and 

partnership with them, we can ensure the 

country’s needs are met – the right parts 

are provided by DLA,” Van House said. 

DLA is working with the services 

to have joint metrics so the agency can 

observe how it’s doing to support foreign 

customers. 

“We have become engaged in an 

international customers’ user group, 

where we receive feedback directly from 

the international customers,” Van House 

said. “We participate in meetings and 

conferences to address their concerns, 

find problem areas, look at metrics to 

measure DLA support to the international customer, and try to look at areas 

to improve our support.”

Fast-Track Improvements

He said the agency has also been involved in rapid-improvement events sponsored by the military services to improve 

support to FMS customers. 

“We were just involved with a rapidimprovement event with the Air Force to 

improve support to [Ogden Air Logistics 

Center’s] customers for F-16s,” he said

Van House said that in the past DLA 

hasn’t had as robust a partnership with 

the military services as it has today. To 

improve relationships, a person has been 

assigned as the point of contact within 

DLA to each of the international logistics 

control offices within the services.

“It gives us a closer view of what the 

[countrys’] requirements are and direct 

feedback of how we’re doing to support 

them,” he said. “So by understanding the 

requirement and receiving feedback, it 

allows us to make adjustment to ensure 

we meet their needs.”

He said improving DLA’s partnership 

with the services contributes to having a 

more satisfied customer. 

Thompson’s plans to enhance 

engineering support and expand DLA’s 

effectiveness in Foreign Military Sales 

business are two of the actions laid out 

is his fiscal 2011 Director’s Guidance, 

which he said he expects will ensure DLA 

is in line with the Defense Department’s 

challenge to rebalance America’s military 

logistics operations. 

M1A1 Abrams tanks arrive at the port of 

Umm Qasr, Iraq. Iraq received this shipment 

as part of a Foreign Military Sales agreement 

with the United States.

Courtesy Photo

Book 1.indb 27 10/19/10 8:
28 www.dla.mil

We are DLA

Warfighters have a lot of stuff. 

Chances are, no matter where 

in the world a military unit is 

located, its members are going 

to have a lot of equipment and 

material, often more than they need for 

their operations. 

It is the role of Defense Logistics 

Agency Disposition Services to manage 

that excess equipment and material. 

Whether the property is at a military 

installation in the Pacific Northwest or a 

dusty outpost in Kuwait, DLA Disposition 

Services team members go wherever 

customers need them.

One Man’s Trash

At DLA Disposition Services Kuwait, a 

small team of deployed agency employees 

are turning trash to treasure by reutilizing 

millions of dollars worth of equipment 

every year. 

Customers scouring rows of excess 

equipment at the Camp Arifjan facility so 

often find what they’re looking for that 

officials said the team reutilized more 

than $100 million worth of property in 

fiscal 2009. 

Units moving through the area have 

depended on the facility as a repository 

for hard-to-find items and to offload 

unneeded property since it opened in 

November 2003. But this year business 

hit a “historical milestone,” according 

to a recent report from Army Lt. Col. 

Karen Wrancher, U.S. Central Command 

regional operations officer for DLA 

Disposition Services. 

“Team Arifjan” surpassed its fiscal 

2009 reutilization benchmark of $72 

million in May, and by mid-August had 

exceeded the $100 million mark.

“That is a great accomplishment, but 

what truly makes this feat amazing is 

that the team does it without the support 

of contractors,” Wrancher said, adding 

that about 55 personnel are handling 

operations previously done by a contracted 

workforce of more than 200 people. 

The staff includes 12 DLA team 

members who serve one-year tours 

with the option to extend and 43 “surge 

personnel” who volunteer from other 

DLA Disposition Services sites for sixmonth tours. Because the site is open 

24/7, officials said most folks work 12-

hour shifts, seven days a week. 

And they are challenged daily to 

balance a high operational tempo with 

tough environmental conditions, said 

Army Lt. Col. Miriam Tannenbaum, 

officer in charge of DLA’s disposition 

team in Kuwait.

“We have some absolutely amazing 

people working here,” she said. “There’s 

so much going on and so much to do, 

and they do it in 130 to 140 degree 

temperatures day in and day out.”

DLA Disposition Services runs more 

than 100 field sites in 41 states and 16 

countries, but the Kuwait facility is the 

largest in terms of the amount of the 

property it receives and processes daily. 

Unlike other facilities, this one has only 

outdoor storage.

“We had days when such bad dust 

storms came through that we had to 

temporarily shut down, but as soon as 

the storms passed, we were right back 

at work,” said Gail Brown, who returned 

from Kuwait in July after serving for two 

years as the site chief. She is now the area 

manager for DLA Disposition Services 

Red River, Texas.

“That the team there is able to deal 

with such harsh elements and still service 

warfighters is phenomenal. And there 

are surprisingly few complaints from the 

team,” she continued.

Employees at DLA Disposition 

Services Kuwait take seriously their 

mission to be good stewards of the 

government property that goes in and out 

of the facility, Tannenbaum added.

“This is a great business we’re in, 

and we play a very important role here,” 

she said. “How can you not feel good 

about that?”

Weekend Warriors

At a DLA Disposition Services site 

back in the U.S., a military reserve unit 

augments the civilian staff to perform the 

local mission while also preparing to deploy in support of DLA around the world. 

Disposal Remediation Team Lewis, 

a joint-service reserve outfit, drills at 

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., one 

weekend each month. The unit is about 

35 members strong when its roster is full 

and includes Navy and Army reservists. 

“Our mission is to recruit, integrate 

new members into the unit, train them to 

work in the warehouse here, and prepare 

them to deploy in support of DLA,” Navy 

Reserve Cmdr. Al Schmitt, the unit’s 

commander, said. 

The disposition facility employs about 

30 civilians and at times operates six days 

a week. As what is called a hub site, its 

DISPOSITION SERVICES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Story by Sara Moore

Book 1.indb 28 10/19/10 8:
Loglines l November - December 2010 29

Compiled by Strategic Communications

operational responsibility is excess and 

surplus military material in the Pacific 

Northwest, including Oregon, Alaska and 

part of Idaho, in addition to Washington. 

Not surprisingly, the sheer volume 

of excess property that comes through 

the facility is overwhelming, resulting in 

hours of overtime as the staff attempts 

to keep up with the influx of goods, said 

Robert Burrell, area manager. That’s 

where the reservists come in. 

DRT reservists’ training includes 

the basic military supply course and 

job-specific instruction, but the real 

test comes early Saturday morning of 

the weekend training assemblies, when 

the reservists hit the floor and begin 

processing material themselves following 

established procedures. 

Burrell schedules civilians to work 

with the reservists one-on-one to help 

train and guide them, he said. The 

on-the-job training helps the reservists 

prepare for deployments, where they 

will perform the same duty but without 

similar supervision.

Officials said DRTs serve a vital 

role by deploying to forward areas in 

Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq, where they 

bring the expertise of DLA Disposition 

Services to military units serving on the 

front lines. 

Here at home, though, Burrell said he 

appreciates the DRT’s contribution to his 

operation – and he depends on it.

“Suppose I have 20 reservists on a 

weekend,” he said. “What a resource. 

That’s 20 extra people to assist with the 

workload two days a month.

So far in 2010, the DRT has 

contributed nearly 700 hours of support 

to the disposition facility on drill 

weekends alone, in addition to 110-plus 

days of annual tour. Those figures have Reporting by Beth Reece and Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. 

Richard C. Sater

increased steadily since the unit was 

established in 1998 as a Navy Reserve 

team. Army Reserve billets were added 

in 1999. 

When he took over the reins of 

the DRT in December 2009, nearly 

two-thirds of his Sailors and Soldiers 

were deployed in support of operations 

Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, 

Schmitt said. Most of them returned to 

duty this summer, and Schmitt met them 

for the first time. 

Schmitt himself is preparing for 

deployment to Afghanistan late this fall; 

it will be his second such tour.

“We have a very important mission 

over there,” he said. “That’s the focus of 

our training here. It takes a lot of effort to 

make it a success.” 

Soldiers load baggage onto a chartered airplane at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on their way to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The Defense Logistics 

Agency Disposition Services site at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, augmented by its military reserve unit, processes and disposes of excess military 

equipment resulting from the Iraq troop withdrawal.

Air Force Senior Airman Perry Aston

Book 1.indb 29 10/19/10 8:
30 www.dla.mil

Ten Questions with . . .

1. In your opinion, how did your 

career and previous duty as 

agency chief of staff prepare you to 

lead the Defense Logistics Agency’s 

Philadelphia-based troop support 

center?

Before joining DLA, I worked 

extensively with the agency in supply 

and management of repair parts. 

Once I became chief of staff, I learned 

about the agency from a strategic 

standpoint – its acquisition and 

logistics competencies and how its 

mission literally reaches all corners 

of the globe. 

My experience in logistics, 

coupled with previous positions, 

prepared me for command here. 

Leading four diverse supply chains 

has been an unbelievable learning 

experience. The mission is incredibly 

challenging, the work exceptionally 

rewarding and the workforce one of 

the best I have ever served with. 

2. How do DLA Troop Support 

team members make a difference 

for warfighters?

No single DLA area touches 

military members more than DLA 

Troop Support. Let’s take a Soldier 

at a forward operating base as an 

example. Barriers surrounding the 

base and living area, and his tent 

came from DLA Troop Support. His 

uniform, helmet and other protective 

equipment also came from us. When 

that Soldier heads to the dining 

facility, he’ll eat food provided by 

Troop Support team members. If he 

should need life-saving vaccines or 

other medicines, our team is there too. 

Air Force Brig. Gen. 

Philadelphia Commander Discusses Warfighter Support, Prime Vendors and Small-Business Participation

Troop Support Team Integration Construction and Equipment Supply Chain Pri

However, all DLA activities play 

a key role in supporting warfighters. 

At a strategic level, if any one of those 

were to fail, we would all fail as an 

integrated team. 

3. Your activity supplies high-visibility goods like food and medical 

material. What does this additional 

scrutiny mean for the way DLA 

Troop Support conducts business? 

Each commodity DLA Troop 

Support handles brings a unique set 

of standards, safeguards, restrictions 

and scrutiny. Simply put, warfighters 

can die if we don’t execute our 

mission.

The U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration guides operations 

in our Medical and Subsistence 

directorates. In the medical 

arena these regulations ensure 

pharmaceuticals and supplies are 

safe and effective. We also maintain 

an effective audit trail to support 

product recalls and to quickly isolate 

and address any issues with efficacy, 

shelf life or condition. 

Defense Logistics Agency Photo

Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Chambers

Book 1.indb 30 10/19/10 8:
Loglines l November - December 2010 31

. Scott Chambers

ime Vendor Partnerships Continuous Process Improvement Small-Business P articipation

by DLA Strategic Communications

All food served to U.S. troops 

comes from veterinary-approved 

sources, which gives us assurance 

our partner organizations are 

aware of DLA requirements, have 

good manufacturing practices 

and maintain sanitary conditions. 

We conduct extensive testing in 

our clothing and textile area to 

make certain protective gear and 

clothing work as designed to protect 

warfighters. 

4. Some of Troop Support’s work 

involves supplying deployed warfighters with holiday meals. How 

does your team ensure troops get a 

taste of home on the battlefield? 

As early as June our planners 

are gearing up for Thanksgiving and 

Christmas meals, coordinating with 

theater food advisors, determining 

head counts, noting service locations 

and passing requirements to prime 

vendors. We pull out all the stops 

to provide the comfort of delicious, 

familiar foods, and we aim for the 

freshest items. Our subsistence 

team works with a prime vendor get 

the best ingredients on the holiday 

table, and we incorporate locally 

grown produce to round out the 

meals. Warfighters appreciate our 

efforts, and we receive really positive 

feedback from the troops.

Lesser-known is Troop Support’s 

work to provide Passover meals. 

The “Kosher for Passover” meal 

complements the Seder kit provided 

by Clothing and Textiles, so Jewish 

chaplains and troops can celebrate 

during the seven-day event in the 

spring. 

5. DLA Troop Support sales 

accounted for nearly half the 

agency’s $38 billion in business 

in fiscal 2009. How have the 

drawdown of forces in Iraq and 

the troop buildup in Afghanistan 

impacted your center’s operations? 

Our sales are on track to reach 

a record $15 billion in fiscal 2010. 

Our construction and equipment and 

subsistence supply chains have been 

impacted most by these changing 

operations. Construction and 

Equipment experienced tremendous 

demand growth for construction 

material to complete expansion 

of forward operating bases and 

construction of more than a dozen 

small combat operating posts in 

Afghanistan. Subsistence has seen 

an increase in volume by 165 percent 

since January and is now shipping 

to as many as 190 locations in 

Afghanistan. 

As the drawdown continues and 

troop strength stabilizes, we will be 

working logistics and transportation 

issues to ensure seamless support to 

this region. We are pleased to have 

achieved the lowest cost-recovery 

rate ever at DLA Troop Support, but 

are focused on gaining efficiency in 

our processes and organizational 

structure while considering 

additional opportunities within the 

Defense Department.

6. DLA Troop Support works 

with a number of prime vendors 

to source supplies. How do these 

partnerships yield benefits for 

warfighters?

A prime vendor is a product 

distributor that provides needed 

items directly to military service 

customers in a defined geographic 

Book 1.indb 31 10/19/10 8:
32 www.dla.mil

Ten Questions with . . .

Construction and Equipment Supply Chain Prime Vendor Partnerships Continuous

region within a specified period of 

time. We have successfully used 

prime vendor methodology for many 

product lines including subsistence; 

pharmaceuticals; medical/surgical 

supplies; maintenance, repair and 

operations supplies; and special 

operations. Prime vendors have 

allowed DLA to reduce inventory 

and infrastructure while providing 

customers with a wide selection of 

commercially available products, 

responsive service and lower 

delivered costs. 

7. How do you ensure opportunities for small-business 

participation in DLA Troop 

Support acquisitions?

About 30 percent of DLA Troop 

Support contract dollars are awarded 

to small business, and our team 

accounts for about 43 percent of all 

DLA total small-business contract 

dollars. We partner closely with 

federal, state and local professional 

organizations and industry 

associations to fully utilize the small 

business community. We reach out 

to these organizations, particularly 

veteran-owned and service-disabled 

veteran-owned small businesses by 

participating in fairs, conferences 

and seminars to make ourselves 

widely known. We aggressively 

seek and develop new initiatives 

to enhance growth opportunities 

for the small-business segment. 

We also work with small-business 

sources to ensure their products are 

included in third-party contractual 

arrangements. 

 8. DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. 

Alan Thompson has outlined the 

need to find efficiencies in daily 

agency operations as the department navigates a constrained budget environment. What steps are 

you taking to find efficiencies?

Our overall goal is to be able 

to tell the Army, Navy, Air Force 

and Marines DLA is the bestvalue logistics provider. We will 

continue to make that happen 

by institutionalizing Continuous 

Process Improvement, pursuing 

price reductions in select material 

categories, right-sizing our workforce 

and seeking new opportunities. The 

end result will be to further reduce 

our already low cost-recovery rate. 

We’re constantly leaning forward to 

do our best for warfighters. 

9. Humanitarian operations also 

fall under DLA Troop Support. How 

does your team meet humanitarianrelief needs without impacting the 

warfighter-support mission?

Troop Support maintains a core 

humanitarian-relief team that uses 

past humanitarian-relief efforts 

and lessons learned to constantly 

evaluate options to support 

humanitarian efforts inside and 

outside the continental U.S. Terrific 

partnering with DLA Distribution, 

DLA Headquarters and outside relief 

agencies has resulted in successful 

and effective humanitarian-relief 

operations. 

Troop Support and DLA 

Distribution also maintain an 

inventory of first-to-go supplies 

for all humanitarian efforts to best 

assess our posture to support affected 

regions. We recently hosted the 

Federal Emergency Management 

Agency for discussions to optimize 

support and look forward to 

meeting with the U.S. Agency for 

International Development soon to 

continue to improve support.

10. What do you see on the horizon 

for DLA Troop Support?

Whatever the challenge, this 

innovative, dedicated workforce 

has found ways to accomplish the 

mission. We are taking a hard look 

across the organization, especially 

the supply chains, to find ways to 

improve processes, reduce vendor 

costs and our operating costs, and 

become more efficient. We must 

succeed in this pursuit to ensure DLA 

Troop Support is postured to meet 

the challenges of the future fiscal 

environment.

Book 1.indb 32 10/19/10 8:
Loglines l November - December 2010 33

DLA NewsWire Compiled by DLA Strategic Communications 

L

atvia Industry Days, which brought 

together representatives from 

the Defense Logistics Agency and 

Latvian companies interested in doing 

business with the U.S., gave the agency 

a lot of potential new suppliers and built 

important relationships in the region, 

DLA officials said.

The Industry Days, which was sponsored by DLA, the U.S. Embassy in Latvia 

and the Latvian government, ran Sept. 

14 to 17 in the country’s capital of Riga. 

About 108 Latvian companies participated in the first-ever event, which included 

informational sessions about doing business with DLA and the General Services 

Administration as well as one-on-one 

meetings focusing on quality standards 

the agency requires for its products, said 

2010 Department of Defense

Maintenance Symposium & Exhibition

November 15-18, 2010 | Tampa Convention Center | Tampa, Florida, USA

www.sae.org/dod Administered by for the U.S. Department of Defense

P100753

FEATURED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Maintenance Sustaining Systems Today and in Tomorrow’s Complex Environment

• Dr. Ashton B. Carter, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, 

 Technology & Logistics

• LTG Kathleen Gainey, USA, Director for Logistics, The Joint Staff (J4) 

• VADM Alan Thompson, SC, USN, Director, Defense Logistics Agency

• Mr. John Johns, Director, Iraqi Security Forces Logistics, United States Forces-Iraq

• Mr. Richard “Andy” Hove, Executive Vice President and President, Defense, 

 Oshkosh Corporation

• CMSAF James Roy, USAF, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

Industry Days Yields Potential Partnerships

for Agency, Latvian Companies

Lynn Connors, acquisition operations 

specialist in DLA’s Joint Contingency 

Acquisition Support Office. Connors was 

the program manager for the Industry 

Days and was on site to oversee the event. 

“It was a great success. We owe that 

to the embassy, the Latvian government, 

DLA, GSA and our prime vendors,” 

Connors said. 

As a result of work done by DLA 

prime vendors at the Industry Days, the 

agency has made its first buy of bottled 

water from a Latvian vendor to meet a 

requirement for Operation Saber Strike, 

a multinational exercise in Latvia. DLA 

awarded a basic purchase agreement to 

a Latvian vendor for the bottled water, 

Connors said. 

During Industry Days, DLA and GSA 

representatives evaluated each Latvian 

company based on its potential to do 

business with the U.S., Connors said. Of 

the 108 companies represented, more 

than 60 were determined to have high 

potential for doing business, she said.

Doing business with Latvia is important 

as the Northern Distribution Network has 

grown and become successful, DLA officials 

said. Bringing about positive economic 

impacts in the nations along the supply 

route is something that goes hand-in-hand 

with NDN participation, DLA Director 

Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson said in 

Latvia in September. 

“Part of facilitating this positive 

impact is bringing DLA and GSA here 

to Riga and answering many of the 

questions Latvian industry members 

have about doing business with the U.S. 

government,” he said. 

— Sara Moore and Heather Athey

Book 1.indb 33 10/19/10 8:
34 www.dla.mil

Money Matters

O

f the $38 billion the Defense 

Logistics Agency spent on goods 

and services in fiscal 2009, about 

$7 billion went to small businesses. 

That amount is expected to grow 

as DLA acquisition experts work toward 

meeting Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ 

mandate to create efficiencies and save 

money over the next five years. 

The current Defense Department 

goal for small-business partnerships is 

23 percent, but in reality presently stands 

at about 19 percent, Shay Assad, director 

of defense procurement and acquisition 

policy, told DLA employees and industrial 

partners at the 2010 DLA Enterprise 

Supplier Conference and Exhibition in 

August. 

“There’s no doubt that we can improve 

our buying power if we increase opportunities for small businesses, so we intend, 

especially in the world of services, to do 

everything we can to increase small-business participation,” he said. 

The Federal Acquisition Regulation 

requires that contracts of less than 

$100,000 go to small businesses unless 

contracting officers determine there is 

no reasonable expectation of obtaining 

competitive offers from two or more 

small businesses. Federal agencies also 

have the option to noncompetitively 

award contracts for products and services 

to such small disadvantaged businesses 

as those are owned by service-disabled 

veterans or women.

Partnering with small businesses is 

not just a regulatory requirement, it’s 

smart, said Jennifer Phillips, chief of the 

DLA Contracting Services Office. Small 

businesses typically have lower overhead 

and administrative costs, so their bids for 

contracts are often lower than those of 

large vendors, she said. 

“For the most part, we’re able to 

get better prices from small businesses, 

especially when it’s for services. We 

also tend to get more direct interaction 

and personalized service from small 

businesses,” she explained. 

Products provided by small 

businesses include medical, dental 

and hospital equipment; extreme 

cold-weather clothing; aircraft cable 

assemblies; and military medals. Small 

businesses also provide services vital to 

daily operations, such as information 

SAVING BIG

with Small Business

Story by Beth Reece

Book 1.indb 34 10/19/10 8:
Loglines l November - December 2010 35

Compiled by DLA Strategic Communications

technology, facilities upkeep and signlanguage interpretation. 

Phillips said she has found small-business owners are sometimes willing to offer 

better prices just so their employees can 

gain experience and refine their skills. 

“Normally, they have just one expert 

in a particular field and the others are 

learning, so they’re willing to come in 

with a good, reasonable price for the sake 

of gaining knowledge they can use in 

future business,” she said. 

Ashton Carter, undersecretary of 

defense for acquisition, technology and 

logistics, met with senior acquisition officials throughout the Defense Department 

in September to announce 23 specific 

guidelines for meeting Gates’ initiative. 

Carter targeted contracted services – an 

area that accounts for $200 billion of the 

department’s annual contracting costs – 

as an area needing improvement. 

“Half of our costs are for services, and 

we’re performing worse there,” he said. 

“It’s grown so large; we simply have to 

manage it better.” 

In a memorandum to acquisition 

professionals he signed that same day, 

Carter singled out DLA as an example 

worth following in its use of standard 

templates to acquire support services, 

“particularly in knowledge management 

services, which has increased 400 percent 

in the last decade.”

“These requirements often require 

the same function or service to be provided, but are written uniquely among 

various commands so that competition is 

limited,” Carter said.

He directed the military services and 

DoD components to establish “maximum 

use of standard templates in developing 

performance work statements to improve 

contract solicitations,” such as templates 

already in use by DLA.

While small contractors provide the 

bulk of DoD’s contracted services, they 

should be encouraged to participate in 

other business partnerships, as well, 

Phillips added. In cases where a contract 

is awarded to a large vendor, for example, 

contract specialists can request the 

large vendor enter into a contract team 

arrangement with small businesses. 

These arrangements allow two or more 

contractors to work together to meet 

contract requirements and increases 

industry awareness of DLA’s needs.

“This makes more people 

knowledgeable of our requirements, 

and the more knowledgeable experts 

we have out there, the less we have to 

rely on sole sourcing,” she said. “The 

savings here would be seen in the long 

term. By ensuring small businesses are 

participating with large businesses, we’re 

able to build a larger base of reliable 

contractors.” 

DLA is committed to increasing 

opportunities for small business 

owners, particularly 

veteran-owned and 

service-disabled 

veteran-owned small 

businesses, said Peg 

Meehan, director 

of DLA’s Office of 

Small Business 

Programs. 

“Increasing 

opportunities for 

SDVOSBs in DLA’s 

prime contracts and 

subcontracts is a strategy 

that strengthens our industrial 

base by increasing sources for essential 

supplies and services, promoting 

competition and reducing costs,” she 

said. 

Late this summer, DLA Director 

Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson issued 

a direct challenge to the DLA acquisition 

workforce to raise the level of solicitations 

awarded to veteran-owned and servicedisabled veteran-owned small businesses, 

Meehan added. The topic is also addressed 

during the director’s periodic reviews with 

primary-level field activities.

Small-business specialists provide 

one-on-one counseling to small-business 

owners interested in working with 

DLA. The agency also manages DoD’s 

Procurement Technical Assistance 

Program, which has offices throughout 

the United States to help small-business 

owners learn how to do work with the 

federal government and DLA in particular. 

In addition, Meehan’s office is 

conducting market research to identify 

SDVOSBs and has revitalized the VetBiz 

initiative, which is designed to help 

SDVOSBs develop repeatable processes 

that will allow them to continue to 

do successful, profitable 

business with DLA. 

While small businesses are known for 

having a small number of employees 

and relatively low 

sales volume, they’re 

no less capable than 

large businesses, 

added Kevin Blume, 

a contracting officer 

on Phillips’ staff.

“We’ve found that 

small businesses are often 

started by people who have a great deal of 

expertise,” he said.

Meehan agreed. “Small businesses 

of all types are valuable partners to us in 

providing necessary supplies and services 

to warfighters.”

The Defense Logistics Agency is committed to increasing 

opportunities for small business owners, particularly veteranowned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses

Book 1.indb 35 10/19/10 8:
36 www.dla.mil

New Beginning

Story by Beth Reece

– have been hired into DLA in the past 

six months, said Judi Bitner, Brown’s 

supervisor and a manager at DLA Human 

Resources Services New Cumberland. 

Bitner’s office helps managers understand hiring flexibilities and rules about 

veterans’ preference and appointments 

under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act, which grant veterans preference when they are referred for federal 

jobs. Eligible veterans include those who 

are disabled or served in combat or during certain timeframes.

Veterans Recruitment Appointments 

also allow federal agencies to hire eligible 

veterans without competition. Eligibility 

requirements changed in November 2002 

under the Jobs for Veterans Act, Public 

Law 107-288, and extend to: disabled veterans, veterans who served on active duty 

during war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been 

authorized, veterans 

who served on active 

duty during an 

operation for 

which an Armed 

Forces Service Medal 

is awarded, or veterans within three 

years of honorable 

discharge.

Veterans’ hardwon experience 

makes them strong 

competitors for jobs 

like those at DLA, Bitner said.

“They come into the organization 

with a sense of commitment because 

they’ve been our customers and they’ve 

been on the other end of the supply line,” 

she said. “Any veteran who goes out and 

does good things for our country, ... I feel 

like we should give them opportunities 

when we can.” 

Her beliefs are shared by Hettie 

Holmes-Carter, program manager for 

DLA’s recruitment efforts and the 

Operation Warfighter Program. She 

recently began working with the 

Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational 

Rehabilitation and Employment Services 

Division to give service-disabled veterans 

on-the-job training or no-cost internships 

with DLA activities. 

 Through the VA’s on-the-job 

training program, a veteran is hired at 

an apprentice wage and the Vocational 

Rehabilitation and Employment 

Program supplements the salary to the 

journeyman wage. As the participant 

progresses through training, the 

employer gradually pays more of the 

salary until the veteran has reached the 

journeyman level and the employer is 

paying the entire salary. 

“This is a new program and we’re just 

beginning to put information out, but 

I’ve learned that we already have some 

participants out in the field,” HolmesCarter said. 

She is surveying managers now to determine how many participants DLA has.

The non-paid work experience 

program differs from on-the-job training 

in that placement doesn’t automatically 

lead to a permanent job, although 

managers are encouraged to hire veterans 

if satisfied with their performance and 

a position is available. The Vocational 

Rehabilitation and Employment Program 

ovember 11” is tattooed 

on Matthew Brown’s right 

leg. His left is laced with a 

meter’s worth of scars from “N the nine surgeries it took 

doctors to save the former Marine after 

he was shot in Fallujah, Iraq, on that 

indelible day in 2004. 

First Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 

was four days into Operation Phantom 

Fury when Brown’s platoon was tasked 

to move forward into Fallujah and clear a 

route for the rest of the unit.

“We managed to push about a mile 

ahead by nightfall, and when the sun 

came up the next morning, we were surrounded by insurgents,” he recalled.

The Marines fought off and on for 

hours, then Brown slipped into another 

room in the building the platoon was 

operating out of to help locate a sniper 

firing at a buddy. 

The sniper found 

Brown first. As 

pilots prepared to 

airlift the wounded 

machine gunner out 

of Fallujah, a priest 

gave him last rites. 

In January 

2008, after three 

years of physical and 

mental recovery that 

still continues today, 

Brown started his 

civil service career 

with DLA Human 

Resources Services New Cumberland, Pa. 

Veterans like Brown make up a good 

portion of the DLA workforce. More than 

600 veterans – 228 of them disabled 

Then-Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Brown

Book 1.indb 36 10/19/10 8:
Loglines l November - December 2010 37

pays veterans a monthly subsistence 

allowance for up to 24 months while 

they’re in the program. 

The program doesn’t guarantee future 

employment, but it does give veterans 

valuable experience, Holmes-Carter said, 

because “they’re learning how the civilian 

world works or getting experience in a 

different field.”

Most managers don’t need prompting 

from the president to support America’s 

warfighters, but on Nov. 9, 2009, President 

Barack Obama signed an executive order 

directing all federal agencies to establish a 

veterans employment program office and 

to train personnel specialists on veteran 

employment policies – two things DLA had 

already made progress in.

“Our outreach to veterans has always 

been very successful. There are lots of 

eligible folks out there, and we can easily 

reach out to veterans’ organizations to 

obtain candidates because most of them 

are non-competitively appointable,” 

Bitner said. 

Three of Bitner’s current employees are Purple Heart Medal recipients, 

though none of them outwardly exhibit 

the lasting effects of their war injuries. 

Brown, now 25, began working as a 

human resources specialist by participating in an on-the-job training program, that 

matches new employees with trainers who 

help them learn tasks like processing pay 

and recruitment actions. 

His early progress was tempered by a 

brief hospitalization, “but he’s significantly better today,” Bitner said. “He’s gotten 

much more proficient at our business and 

is able to focus well on detailed tasks.”

Recovery is an elusive concept for 

Brown, who 

will never 

fully recuperate from nerve 

damage and 

muscle loss.

“There are days 

when I walk perfectly normal, 

and others when I have a visible limp,” 

he said. 

Most of the pain is below his knee, 

and whether it’s the usual dull ache or an 

occasional sharp, stabbing pain, Brown 

said he’s learned not to dwell on the 

discomfort.

Like so many veterans of the Iraq 

and Afghanistan wars, Brown said he 

is sometimes haunted by anxiety and 

paranoia. The sight of a McDonald’s 

wrapper lying in a ditch might make him 

worry about roadside bombs; the sound 

of a car backfiring could take him back 

to the firefight that killed fellow Marines. 

Prescription painkillers and alcohol once 

helped him escape the symptoms of his 

post-traumatic stress disorder, but he 

has since sought therapy and flushed the 

drugs down a toilet, she said.

“My PTSD will never go away,” he 

said, “but reaching out to other veterans 

For information on the Defense Logistics Agency’s partnership with the

Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service Division,

contact Hettie Holmes-Carter at 703-767-5383 or hettie.holmes-carter@dla.mil. 

Information on veterans employment benefits can be found

through employees’ servicing human resource specialists

or at: http://www.opm.gov/staffingportal/vetguide.asp#VRA-Authority. 

and seeing 

how they’ve 

overcome 

some of the 

problems I’ve had 

helps. Really, the only 

people who understand PTSD 

are the ones who have it.”

Bitner said she has no military experience of her own to help her to understand 

Brown’s struggles, much less those of 

other disabled employees.

“Sometimes we, as managers, need 

to get past stereotypes and offer folks an 

opportunity,” she said. 

The chance to prove himself at DLA 

has given Brown a new beginning, a 

chance he said he feared he’d never get 

after his military career ended. It also 

keeps him connected to the military he 

still loves and enables him to assist others 

looking for federal employment. 

“It’s amazing, because my job gives 

me the chance almost every day to help 

a fellow veteran,” Brown said. “When it 

comes down to it, all of us at DLA are 

engaged in helping warfighters, and what 

better person to help current warfighters 

than a prior warfighter himself.” 

Book 1.indb 37 10/19/10 8:
I AM

My Name is:

Kevin Gleaton

I am:

A program analyst for Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in the 

Continuous Process Improvement Office.

Describe your job in a sentence:

As part of the CPI staff at DLA Troop Support, I analyze current 

workforce procedures to help groups of subject matter experts review 

their processes, incorporate streamlining methodologies and make their work 

more efficient.

How long have you worked for DLA?

I have worked at DLA for four-and-a-half years.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA?

I have the opportunity use my ingenuity to solve puzzles, like a 

detective assessing new cases. Besides specific work-related matters, I 

enjoy joining multiple teams to promote workforce camaraderie. 

What is your best memory of working here?

I appreciated the chance to train on the job through the 

Corporate Intern Program. Graduating from the program and 

being recognized for my work showed me I was becoming a 

universally reliable employee within the organization.

How do you make a difference to warfighters?

My CPI training helps me to reinforce value-added methods 

in the daily performance of the Troop Support workforce. I help 

the men and women directly responsible for serving warfighters 

by institutionalizing a continuous-improvement culture that helps 

generate improvements such as reducing cost, improving quality and 

reducing lead time. Striving for continuous improvement maintains 

warfighter confidence in our efforts and helps DLA become the 

standard for operational process excellence. Book 1.indb 4 10/19/10 8: