SIDE-BY-SIDE SUPPORT

SERVICE TEAMS

LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY MARCH – APRIL 2014
from the

DIRECTOR

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, USN

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

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Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency Office of Public Affairs 8725 John J. Kingman Road Suite 2545 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221 703-767-6200 E-mail: loglines@dla.mil

DLA Director

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LOGLINES

Official Flagship Publication of the Defense Logistics Agency

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LOGLINES STAFF
CONTENTS

Loglines O March - April 2014 1

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LogPoints 35

I am DLA Back Cover

DEPARTMENTS

March - April 2014

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

www.facebook.com/

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DLA on the Web

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2 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

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Airman 1st Class Gerald Rascoe helps Marine 

Corps ordnance technicians load a missile 

at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. Service 

members from the different military branches 

often work together in the fi eld, but they have 

unique logistics needs, which are supported 

by DLA Logistics Operations’ Military Service 

Support Division. The division includes fi ve 

teams that support the military services and 

federal agencies. 

Air Force Senior Airman Armando A. Schwier-Morales
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“Essentially, these teams 

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of the services. It’s really 

a great position to be in, 

quite frankly, because 

you’re the front-line conduit 

between the services, 

federal agencies and DLA. 

We are DLA’s face to the 

customer.”

— Mike Brletich

Airmen load supplies onto a C- 17 Globemaster 

III from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, 

Hawaii, on Kadena Air Base, Japan. Members 

of the military support teams in DLA Logistics 

Operations work closely with the services to 

ensure logistics needs are met.

Air Force Senior Airman Marcus Morris 
4 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

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A truck carrying scrap metal is weighed as 

it leaves a DLA Disposition Services yard in 

Afghanistan. In 2013, DLA Disposition Services 

disposed of 140 million pounds of scrap metal, 

such as copper wire and brass casings, in 

support of retrograde operations in theater.

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able to refocus its assets 

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throughout the theater.

Steen Crawford

A forklift carries a truck to the cutting pad at a 

DLA Disposition Services yard in Afghanistan. 

Over the past three years, DLA Disposition 

Services has demilitarized 2,858 vehicles 

for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan as part of 

retrograde operations.
6 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

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A Volvo Shearer cuts a large fi ber piping at a 

DLA Disposition Services yard in Afghanistan. 

A total of 431 million pounds of scrap metal 

has been demilitarized for the U.S. Army 

in Afghanistan over the past three years in 

support of retrograde operations.

Steen Crawford
Loglines O March - April 2014 7

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Expanding the 

Army Partnership

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By synchronizing all the working pieces in the supply 

chain, DLA is able to get items to the Army where and 

when they need them. 
8 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

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A recent large-scale solar effort at Fort Detrick, 

Md., will use solar panels similar to these. 

It is projected to save the Army millions in 

electricity costs over the life of the contract. 

One of the primary functions of DLA Disposition 

Services is to remove scrap metal from forward 

operating bases, such as this one at Ghazni, 

in eastern Afghanistan. In 2013, increased 

disposal functions at DLA Disposition Services’ 

seven hub-based disposal operation sites kept 

more than 310 convoys from having to travel 

to larger disposal sites, resulting in $30 million 

in savings.

Army Cpl. Scott Olijar

Army Cpl. Scott Olijar

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— Susan Lowe, DLA Energy
Loglines O March - April 2014 9

he Marine Corps prides itself 

on being “always faithful” and 

responding quickly and ably when 

needed around the globe. But even 

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support team backing it, and that’s where 

the Defense Logistics Agency comes in. 

At DLA Headquarters and in the agency’s 

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civilian professionals dedicates itself to 

ensuring the Marines have what they need 

to remain ready and capable. 

“Our primary purpose is to be the 

honest broker on issues of logistics 

support between the Marine Corps and 

DLA,” said Joe Carter Jr., the customer 

account manager for the Marine Corps 

team in DLA Logistics Operations. “In 

essence, we’re ensuring that the interest 

of both the Marine Corps and the DLA 

enterprise are met.” 

Carter is one of a team of 10, including 

a national account manager, a deputy and 

several customer support representatives, 

who make up the Marine Corps Service 

Team in DLA Logistics Operations. The 

team members engage with the Marine 

Corps at all levels, from senior leaders 

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logistics processes and resolve problems. 

The Marine Corps team keeps its 

relationship with the service strong 

Story by Sara Moore

Semper Support

9 www.dla.mil

Marines in Afghanistan, like these on patrol 

through Sangin District, have a direct line 

of communication to the Defense Logistics 

Agency through the Marine Corps Service 

Team, which expedites logistics issues and 

solves problems for Marines in the fi eld.

— Photo by Marine Corps Cpl. Ned Johnson

T
10 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

Loglines O January - February 2014 10

through several key connections at 

high-level commands, said Marine Corps 

Col. Emily Swain, national account 

manager for the Marine Corps team in 

DLA Logistics Operations. The team 

has customer service representatives 

embedded at Marine Corps Systems 

Command in Quantico, Va.; Marine 

Corps Logistics Command in Albany, 

Ga.; Marine Forces Reserve in New 

Orleans; and Headquarters Marine 

Corps Installations and Logistics at 

the Pentagon. These representatives 

function as members of those respective 

staffs, she said, allowing for two-way 

communication and proactive strategies 

to solve problems, sometimes even before 

a problem is evident.

“I think that the Marine Corps team 

has a very strong connection with the 

logistics command and the operational 

forces on problems that Marines 

encounter every day,” Swain said. “We’re 

happy to be in a position to be able to 

get a Marine the kind of answer that 

they’re looking for – the quick answer, 

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but there’s really someone out there who 

wants to solve their problem and then 

makes it happen.”

Resolving day-to-day issues at the 

tactical level has always been a primary 

function of the Marine Corps team, but 

as the operational tempo has changed 

and global missions have evolved, team 

PHPEHUV¿QGWKHPVHOYHVZRUNLQJRQ

larger issues in addition to their normal 

workload, Swain said. For the past 10 

years, she noted, the Marine Corps 

and other military services have been 

focused on wartime operations and 

have necessarily put other things, like 

SULRULWL]LQJDQGFOHDQLQJRXWUHWHQWLRQ

stocks, on the back burner. Now that 

wartime operations have slowed, DLA 

is working with the Marine Corps on 

these “housekeeping” items, she said. 

The current focus is on determining the 

appropriate level of forward-stocked 

LWHPVIRUWKH3DFL¿FWKHDWHUZLWKWKH

other global theaters to follow, and on 

eliminating obsolete inventory, she said.

“DLA is always looking to improve 

its processes and provide better 

customer service, and we’ve been 

working as that link between DLA and 

WKH0DULQH&RUSVWRULJKWVL]HWKRVH

Marines ruck march during a day fi eld exercise 

at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training 

Center in Bridgeport, Calif. Marines in the fi eld 

rely on the Defense Logistics Agency for support, and the Marine Corps Service Team in DLA 

Logistics Operations acts as a conduit between 

DLA Headquarters and warfi ghter customers. 

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Steve Cushman
Loglines O March - April 2014 11

forward-stocked items,” she said.

The Marine Corps team is working 

on a number of other initiatives with the 

service, one of which is implementing 

a joint environmental material 

management service in Okinawa, Japan, 

Carter said. This service is replacing 

a Navy contract that was in place and 

ZLOOVWUHDPOLQHWKHKD]DUGRXVPDWHULDO

supply chain by consolidating storage 

and delivery functions into one DLAprovided service, he said. The new service 

LVH[SHFWHGWRVDYHWKH0DULQH&RUSV

millions of dollars, he said, and will be 

H[SDQGHGWRRWKHUVLWHVLQWKHIXWXUH

Another important initiative the 

team is working on is developing a 

performance-based agreement for 

cataloguing with the Marine Corps, 

Carter said. This has been an ongoing 

effort that has taken longer than 

H[SHFWHGGXHWRFRPSHWLQJSULRULWLHV

but DLA Logistics Information Services, 

Marine Corps Systems Command and 

Marine Corps Logistics Command have 

developed a working group that meets 

HYHU\WZRZHHNVWRDQDO\]HDQGUH¿QHWKH

cataloguing process between DLA and 

the Marine Corps. Everyone involved is 

committed to completing the agreement 

as soon as possible, because it will reap 

great dividends for the Marine Corps and 

DLA, he said.

“Cataloguing is so critical to ensuring 

that we have the correct parts,” Carter 

said. “When the Marine Corps brings a 

new weapons system online, it’s important 

WKDWZHKDYHDQHI¿FLHQWFDWDORJXLQJ

process so that when the weapons system 

becomes fully operational and capable, we 

KDYHWKHULJKWSDUWVLGHQWL¿HGDQGRQWKH

shelf to support the sustainment of those 

weapons systems.”

While the team members at DLA 

Headquarters work on high-level issues 

with the Marine Corps commands, 

customer support representatives in the 

¿HOGZRUNWLUHOHVVO\ZLWKLQGLYLGXDOXQLWV

to ensure their logistics needs are met, 

RIWHQWDSSLQJWKHH[SHUWLVHRISHUVRQQHO

DWWKHDJHQF\¶V¿HOGDFWLYLWLHVWRSURYLGH

well-rounded support. 

At Marine Corps Logistics Command, 

Brenda Olds has served as the DLA 

customer support representative for 

nine years, bringing with her years of 

H[SHULHQFHZRUNLQJIRUWKH0DULQH&RUSV

As the face of the Marine Corps support 

team to customers there, Olds said she 

interacts daily with customers at all levels, 

attending meetings to understand their 

QHHGVDQGH[SODLQ'/$FDSDELOLWLHVDQG

resolving issues, often before they become 

real problems. 

3,WLVH[WUHPHO\EHQH¿FLDOWR'/$

and the Marine Corps to have customer 

support representatives embedded with 

the customer,” Olds said. “Forward 

customer support presence ensures 

personal engagement is maintained, which 

is vital to help preserve current customer 

relationships and also serves to help build 

a foundation for future partnerships.”

In line with the DLA director’s goal to 

UHGXFHLQYHQWRU\DQGLQFUHDVHHI¿FLHQF\

many of the Marine Corps team’s efforts 

have revolved around identifying and 

UHGXFLQJH[FHVVVWRFNDQGVWUHDPOLQLQJ

processes. Those efforts are evident at 

DLA Headquarters, where the team 

works with Marine Corps commands to 

evaluate contingency stock levels, and 

LQWKH¿HOGZKHUHFXVWRPHUVXSSRUW

representatives implement solutions that 

save time and money. 

In October, Olds recalled, DLA 

'LVWULEXWLRQLGHQWL¿HGQDWLRQDO

stock numbers owned by the Marine 

Corps and stored at DLA depots that 

had been inactive for more than two 

years. After the reasons for inactivity 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Derrek Valimont, a 

member of the Combat Logistics Battalion 1, 

helps load a 20-foot container of reusable gear 

during a retrograde operation at Camp Hanson, 

Afghanistan. As U.S. forces draw down in 

Afghanistan, the Marine Corps Service Team in 

DLA Logistics Operations has put emphasis on 

the retrograde mission.

Marine Corps Sgt. Michele Watson
12 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

were determined, Olds took action on 

all receipt and inventory errors DLA was 

responsible for and provided an analysis 

of the remaining stock numbers to the 

Marines to help them decide what action 

to take, she said. Working together, DLA 

and the Marine Corps eliminated 388 

national stock numbers, freeing up about 

20,000 cubic feet of storage space. 

In another successful partnership, 

DLA and the Marine Corps were able 

to transfer hundreds of unused tactical 

vehicles from Marine Corps Logistics 

&RPPDQGIRUGHPLOLWDUL]DWLRQDQG

disposal. The need to transfer these 

vehicles, known as MK48 Logistics 

Vehicle Systems, became urgent due 

to space constraints, Olds said. DLA 

Disposition Services worked directly with 

the Marine Corps to immediately ship 

WKH¿UVWYHKLFOHVWR$QQLVWRQ$UP\

'HSRW$ODIRUGHPLOLWDUL]DWLRQDQGVKLS

the remaining vehicles to Nellis Air Force 

Base, Nev., to be used as targets for Air 

Force training, said Sherry Low, customer 

management division chief at DLA 

Disposition Services. 

“This was a win-win situation for all 

parties because not all the property had 

WR>EHGHPLOLWDUL]HGRUKDYHLWVVSHFL¿F

military capabilities 

removed],” Low said. 

“And, because these were 

re-used by the U.S. Air 

Force as targets, the Air 

Force did not have to 

H[SHQGDGGLWLRQDOIXQGV

to purchase soft targets 

for training.”

DLA Disposition 

Services works closely 

with the Marine Corps to 

provide the best possible 

support, Low said. DLA Disposition 

Services is in the process of hiring a 

Marine Corps representative to replace 

one who recently retired. That new 

representative will be physically located 

at Marine Corps Logistics Command to 

work with the customers and develop 

close working relationships, she said. 

DLA Disposition Services personnel at 

all levels interact regularly with Marine 

Corps customers, she noted, ensuring 

that disposal operations move smoothly 

DQGHI¿FLHQWO\

3:KHQLWFRPHVWRGLVSRVDORIH[FHVV

property, the customer 

does not have space to 

hold onto property,” 

Low said. “They need 

it to move; our job is to 

ensure we do not impact 

or backlog their mission 

and operations.”

At DLA Land 

and Maritime, 

close collaboration 

with Marine Corps 

customers has also been 

key in keeping the service mission-ready, 

said Jeffrey Gamber, weapons system 

support manager in the Land Customer 

Operations Directorate. A retired Marine 

who has supported the Corps in DLA 

Land and Maritime for 12 years, Gamber 

SOD\HGDQLPSRUWDQWUROHLQ¿HOGLQJ

the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected 

vehicle for the service. Gamber helped 

planners from the Marine Corps and the 

-RLQW3URJUDP2I¿FHZLWKDOODVSHFWVRI

support for the vehicles, including new 

procurement, cataloguing, provisioning, 

inventory management and disposal. His 

DQGRWKHU'/$H[SHUWV¶FROODERUDWLRQ

with the Marine Corps led to adoption 

RIDVXSSRUWVWUDWHJ\IRU05$3¿HOGLQJ

that was in place from 2006 to 2014 and 

ensured readiness levels for that critical 

vehicle stayed above the service’s goal, 

he said. 

“Tens of thousands of lives were 

saved due to DLA’s early involvement and 

commitment to support the program,” 

Gamber said. “Close collaboration is vital 

to ensure that Marine Corps customers 

Marines at Camp Dwyer, in Helmand province, 

Afghanistan, lower a self-loading bed of an 

MK48 Logistics Vehicle System. DLA helped 

the Marine Corps dispose of hundreds of 

excess MK48 Logistics Vehicle Systems at 

Marine Corps Logistics Command, Albany, Ga.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Robert R. Carrasco

“Close collaboration is vital to 

ensure that Marine customers 

understand what DLA can 

bring to the table to improve 

their ability to support the 

warfi ghters and their weapon 

system platforms.”

— Jeffery Gamber
Loglines O March - April 2014 13

understand what DLA can bring to the 

table to improve their ability to support 

WKHZDU¿JKWHUVDQGWKHLUZHDSRQV\VWHP

platforms.”

All of DLA’s successes in supporting 

the Marine Corps can be tied back to 

collaborative relationships, Swain and 

Carter agreed. Most members of the 

Marine Corps team have been in their 

jobs for close to 10 years and have 

developed close ties with the customers 

they support, Swain said. The customer 

support representatives embedded at 

Marine Corps commands have been able 

to become so in sync with their customers 

WKDWWKH\WDLORUWUDLQLQJWR¿WWKHLUXQLTXH

requirements and often anticipate needs 

before the customers are even aware of 

them, she noted. 

One of those customers, Marine Col. 

Christopher Edwards, assistant chief of 

staff for logistics at Marine Corps Base 

4XDQWLFRKDVH[SHULHQFHG'/$VXSSRUW

throughout his career, both during 

combat operations and now in a support 

role. During the Marine Corps surge into 

Afghanistan in 2009-2010, Edwards was 

the assistant chief of staff for logistics 

IRUQG0DULQH([SHGLWLRQDU\%ULJDGH

which has subsequently been renamed 

MEB-Afghanistan. He said he remembers 

DLA personnel from the Marine Corps 

support team approaching him before 

deployment and offering support from 

initial deployment planning through the 

end of his brigade’s mission. 

“The DLA team worked closely with 

us as the MEB established a robust 

supply capability in theater,” Edwards 

said. “There were no issues too small to 

bring to their attention, yet they also had 

the horsepower to resolve large issues 

H[WHQGLQJEDFNWRWKHLQGXVWULDOEDVH ́

In his subsequent stateside 

assignments, as commander of Combat 

/RJLVWLFV5HJLPHQWDQGQRZDW

Quantico, Edwards said he has enjoyed 

continuing support from DLA in every 

DUHDLQFOXGLQJUHWURJUDGHDQGUH¿WRI

HTXLSPHQWGLVSRVDORIH[FHVVPDWHULDO

and training on a variety of DLA and 

Defense Department automated logistics 

systems. 

Establishing familiarity and trust 

between DLA and Marine Corps 

customers is important, Swain said, 

EHFDXVH0DULQH&RUSVRI¿FHUVDUHQRW

DVVLJQHGWR'/$DVIUHTXHQWO\DVRI¿FHUV

from other services and therefore 

might not be as knowledgeable about 

the agency. Through daily interaction 

with customer support representatives 

and regular meetings like the quarterly 

Partnership Agreement Council meeting 

with Marine Corps stakeholders, and the 

annual Marine Corps-DLA Day, the team 

has developed a very close bond with the 

service.

Carter agreed, noting that at many 

Marine Corps locations, DLA’s customer 

support representatives are seamlessly 

integrated as part of the team.

“The Marines view our CSRs as 

part of their staffs, and that’s further 

testament of the work that our CSRs 

have done in addressing and resolving 

customers’ concerns and issues,” Carter 

said. “By virtue of them doing that, our 

relationship is one of the best I’ve seen 

in years. It’s not a ‘we versus them’ 

attitude; it’s us together – one team, 

RQH¿JKW:HDUH'/$DQGWKH\VHHXV

as an integral part of their solutions to 

logistics challenges.” 

Marines in the fi eld rely on the DLA for vital 

equipment, like this tire being replaced 

at Forward Operating Base Whitehouse, 

Afghanistan. The Marine Corps Service Team 

in DLA Logistics Operations helps ensure the 

Marine Corps’ needs are met through daily 

interaction with service representatives.

Marine Corps Cpl. Mark Stroud
14 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

ith a worldwide presence and 

managing nearly 5 million 

items across nine supply 

chains, the Defense Logistics 

Agency provides the U.S Navy 

with food, fuel and countless 

other items needed to complete its mission.

The agency’s Navy National Account 

Manager Team, led by Capt. Bernie Knox, 

makes sure Navy logisticians know all the 

ways DLA can help. 

“I like to think of myself as the 

customer service rep, so I interface with 

the Navy on anything and everything 

dealing with DLA,” Knox said. “In that 

role our team advocates and we explain 

Navy issues within DLA.”

Knox and his team work to ensure the 

QHHGVRIDÀH[LEOHJOREDOIRUFHDUHPHW

Knox’s deputy, Navy Cdr. Bruce 

Begley, explained the team serves as the 

primary touch point for the Navy at DLA.

“Whenever the Navy comes to us, our 

intent is to be able to say, ‘How can we 

help you?’” he said.

The Navy NAM team communicates 

through a partnership agreement council 

that allows its members to interact with 

Naval Supply Systems Command, the 

service’s primary logistics unit, and 

with other Navy supply organizations. 

The team also solicits feedback from 

W

Story by

Navy Petty Offi cer 1st Class Daniel Garas

Supporting the Fl

A helicopter from the Military Sealift 

Command dry cargo and ammunition ship 

USNS Richard E. Byrd delivers supplies 

to the amphibious dock landing ship USS 

Harpers Ferry. DLA initiatives help keep the 

Navy supplied across the globe.

— Photo by Navy Petty Offi cer 1st Class Kim McLendon
Loglines O March - April 2014 15

eet UHTXLUHPHQWVDWÀHHWUHDGLQHVVFHQWHUV

The system was implemented at Fleet 

Readiness Center Southwest in San 

Diego in June and Fleet Readiness 

Center Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla., in 

October. It is set to go online in Cherry 

Point, N.C., in March.

The program came about after the 

2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act, 

which aimed to increase Department of 

'HIHQVHHI¿FLHQFLHVDQGUHGXFHFRVWE\

streamlining military installations.

“What IMSP does for the Navy is 

it takes DLA’s supply, distribution, 

[information technology] solutions and 

process capabilities and extends them 

GRZQWRWKHZDU¿JKWHU ́VDLG.DU\Q

Runstrom, chief of stock position, 

distribution and retail operations 

sustainment in DLA Logistics Operations. 

individual logisticians. 

Each of DLA’s subordinate 

organizations, known as primary-level 

¿HOGDFWLYLWLHVVSHFLDOL]HVLQDFHUWDLQ

aspect of supply such as aviation, troop 

support, energy or distribution. The 

WHDPDOVRHQJDJHVGDLO\ZLWK'/$¶V¿HOG

activities and NAVSUP. They and the 

Navy NAM team work closely with the 

Navy to get supplies out to all levels of 

WKHÀHHW

Coordinating the requisition and 

movement of supplies from DLA 

organizations out to customers requires 

WHDPZRUNDQGÀH[LELOLW\.QR[VDLG

When Lt. Jerome Lopez, a supply 

RI¿FHURQWKH1DY\1$0WHDPOHDUQHG

the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower needed 

washing machines on short notice before 

a seven-month deployment, he contacted 

a counterpart at DLA Troop Support in 

Philadelphia for help. 

“I went through DLA channels and 

asked them if they had any washing 

machines,” Lopez said. “I remember we got 

them the washing machines only a week 

before they deployed, but it happened.”

Knox said he is proud of the work that 

the civilian and military members of the 

Navy NAM team do each and every day.

“There is always a different issue 

to address daily,” he said, “and that 

makes the job extremely challenging, yet 

absolutely rewarding.”

A relatively new initiative known 

as Inventory Management and Stock 

Positioning is making use of DLA’s 

LQYHQWRU\QHWZRUNWR¿OOFXVWRPHUV¶

“In essence, what we are doing is moving 

the point of sale.”

IMSP was able to connect the Navy 

and DLA supply and distribution systems 

into one seamless program.

Knox said DLA and the Navy have 

worked closely to develop the most 

HI¿FLHQWÀHHWVXSSO\V\VWHPVSRVVLEOH

“It was critically important that there 

be open dialogue between us and the 

Navy,” Knox said. “They had to meet 

many times to design a system that 

matched the Navy’s needs.”

The resulting success has the Navy 

Sailors prepare to unload supply pallets 

during an underway replenishment aboard 

the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. 

Lawrence. DLA fi eld activities and the Navy 

National Account Manager Team work closely 

with Navy Supplies Systems Command to get 

supplies out to all levels of the fl eet.

Navy Petty Offi cer 3rd Class Carla Ocampo
16 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

looking to expand its use of DLA systems, 

he added.

Runstrom said she sees the 

partnership between the DLA and the 

Navy as successful.

“I personally think that it’s had a 

huge impact,” Runstrom said. “You 

can’t move places together if you can’t 

work together.”

Another way DLA helps the Navy 

is through use of a model known 

as performance-based logistics, a 

system that combines multiple service 

contracts for similar items into a single 

PBL arrangement. 

The instruction to use PBLs came from 

Better Buying Power 2.0., an initiative 

championed by former Undersecretary 

of Defense for Acquisition, Technology 

and Logistics Frank Kendall.

“It’s basically an initiative to achieve 

JUHDWHUHI¿FLHQF\DQGSURGXFWLYLW\LQ

defense spending.” Betty Hoapili, DLA’s 

chief of PBLs, said. “PBLs are just one part 

of it, but our part is extremely important.”

In the past, the Navy was in charge of 

determining the type and quantity of parts 

or supply needed per contract. This was 

measured by raw material output, such 

as the number of items delivered or the 

hours of services provided. In contrast, 

PBLs place the contractor in charge of 

determining how many of an item are 

needed and measuring outcomes in terms 

of desired performance requirements.

“For performance-based logistics, 

what you’re doing is going to a 

manufacturer and establishing a 

contract with them that says, ‘We will 

pay you if you take on this business 

IRUXVEHFDXVHLWGRHVQ¶WPDNH¿VFDO

or logistical sense for us to keep this 

business,” Knox said. “All of this is 

to incentivize original equipment 

manufacturers to provide a certain level 

of support.”

Unlike standard contracts, PBL 

arrangements don’t incentivize running 

up maintenance labor hours, parts or 

other measurements. Instead contractors 

are graded based upon meeting certain 

performance expectations. 

,QWKHHQGWKHÀHHWJHWVLPSURYHG

material availability, and the Navy 

spends less.

“The history of PBLs demonstrates 

that the Navy can achieve improved 

UHDGLQHVVDWVLJQL¿FDQWVDYLQJVLI

arrangements are properly structured and 

executed,” Hoapili said. “The potential for 

Sailors aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS 

Gettysburg receive cargo from the Military 

Sealift Command fast combat support ship 

USNS Arctic during a replenishment at sea. 

DLA initiatives like forward stocking have 

improved readiness of ballistic missile defense 

platforms by 32 percent.

Navy Petty Offi cer 3rd Class Lorenzo J. Burleson
Loglines O March - April 2014 17

cost savings is huge.”

The Navy currently has PBLs for 

products as diverse as auxiliary power 

units, wheels, brakes and valves for systems 

including aircraft like the F/A-18 Hornet. 

Hoapili said that while setting up 

PBLs initially requires a little more 

effort, the long-term savings to the 

services can be huge. 

“It’s not our money that we’re saving; 

LW¶VWKHZDU¿JKWHUV¶PRQH\ ́VKHVDLG

“The effort that we do is exclusively on 

their behalf.”

In recent years, DLA has expanded 

its emphasis from wholesale support to 

include more retail focus. 

Bruce Nelson, the team’s Customer 

Account Manager explained that the idea 

originated around 2008, when the 5th 

Fleet requested that strategic, highGHPDQGPDWHULDOVEHFORVHUWRWKH¿JKW

“This improved their readiness 

considerably,” Nelson said. “The Navy was 

very effusive in their praise of the idea.”

In early 2011, the Navy launched an 

RI¿FLDOIRUZDUGVWRFNLQJHIIRUWWRLGHQWLI\

crucial logistical items and begin moving 

them to forward staging areas in Bahrain, 

Sasebo, Japan, and Sigonella, Italy.

The Navy originally decided to 

focus this initiative on several common 

platforms such as coastal patrol craft, 

mine countermeasure ships and ballistic 

missile defense platforms. 

Naval Supply Systems Command 

worked closely with Navy national 

account managers at DLA Headquarters 

and DLA Distribution, and in the 

LQLWLDWLYH¶V¿UVW\HDULQFOXGHGPRUHWKDQ

1,000 key items for these platforms in the 

initial rollout. 

Nelson explained that forward 

stocking reduces logistics response time 

and transportation costs and improves 

readiness by placing essential supplies 

closer to forward-deployed areas. By 

having strategic materials stored closer 

to major areas of operation, the Navy 

reduces costs on shipping and storage.

“We take a look at the demands of 

the vessels that operate in that area and 

carefully choose the items that we’re going 

to place out there,” said Nelson. “The goal 

is to increase readiness of those ships.”

To assist the Navy, DLA organized 

a dedicated forward stocking team from 

various components of military supply 

chains to include demand planners, supply 

planners, buyers, product specialists and 

weapons system support managers. 

“DLA’s involvement with forward 

staging and management of parts has 

resulted in a direct and measureable 

improvement in materiel readiness,” Vice 

Adm. John Miller, commander of the 

Navy’s 5th Fleet, stated in September. 

“We have seen dramatic improvements in 

overall support during the past year.”

DLA’s team tackled the task by 

reviewing demand and supply plans, 

SUHYHQWLQJSDUWVVKRUWDJHVDQGUH¿QLQJ

the new system. 

As of December 2013, the forward 

stocking initiative has improved readiness 

for mine countermeasure ships by 

10 percent, ballistic missile defense 

platforms by 32 percent, and coastal 

patrol craft by 6 percent.

DLA Land and maritime 

Commander Navy Rear Adm. David 

Pimpo said his organization’s personnel 

challenged themselves “to attain and 

maintain a very high standard in 

support of these critical platforms.”

 “I could not be more proud of my 

forward stocking team and the results 

they have achieved,” he said. 

Navy Petty Officers 3rd Class Chad Sims 

and Nickolas Bibs conduct maintenance on 

the main tire assemblies of C-2 Greyhound 

aircraft at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest 

in San Diego. DLA helps reduce the number 

of inventory sites and reduce waste. 

Leandro Hernandez

— Editor’s Note: DLA Land and Maritime 

Public Affairs contributed to this article.
18 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

Air Force

Support

he phone on Air Force Col. 

Gary Wiley Jr.’s desk rings 

every hour. He thinks of it as 

both the “911” and “411” for Air 

Force logisticians.

“We prefer the calls to be 

informational, because our goal is to 

anticipate problems and address them 

before customers feel the need to call us 

T with an emergency,” said Wiley, who leads 

the Air Force National Account Manager 

Team for DLA Logistics Operations. 

The sole purpose of Wiley’s sevenmember team is to make Air Force 

customers happy, whether it’s by altering 

stock at forward locations or helping 

the service get better prices. And while a 

customer satisfaction survey conducted in 

early 2013 revealed that customers wanted 

some improvements in DLA’s support, 

Wiley’s deputy, Air Force Lt. Col. Scott 

Hopper, said things have greatly changed.

“We’ve come a long way from an Air 

Force that rated their satisfaction with 

DLA at just 46 percent a year ago. Senior 

leaders who didn’t mark us well then are 

now talking about how much our support 

and relationship have improved,” he said. 

Quarterly webinars now give 

Air Force customers a chance to ask 

questions about logistics support and 

give Wiley’s team an opportunity to share 

information about DLA initiatives. 

“It’s pretty awesome that we’re 

attracting about 75 customers, 

representing every major command and 

all the industrial sites, to this webinar, and 

they really are a ‘push-pull.’ Sometimes 

there are things they want to learn from 

Story by Beth Reece

F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft taxi down a 

runway during an exercise at Kunsan Air 

Base, South Korea. DLA Aviation has boosted 

forward stocks throughout the Pacifi c theater 

to ensure aircraft are ready when needed. 
Loglines O March - April 2014 19

us, but there’s also a message we want to 

push out to them,” Hopper said. 

In a recent webinar, Air Force 

customers were briefed on the agency’s 

inventory-reduction efforts. Some 

customers feared they didn’t have a say in 

what inventory DLA reduces, Wiley said, 

but the webinar helped his team explain 

to customers why the agency is pursuing it 

and let them know their input is important. 

Repair parts for the B-2 Spirit 

ERPEHUÀHHWVWDWLRQHGDW:KLWHPDQ$LU

Force Base, Mo., were among those that 

customers thought might become scarce 

as a result of inventory reduction, for 

H[DPSOH7KH%LVDVPDOOÀHHWZKLFK

means the demand pattern for repair 

parts is also small.

“That makes their stock susceptible to 

U.S. Air Force Photo

Air Force Staff Sgt. Thomas Johnson, a 19th 

 Ellora Remington

Equipment Maintenance Squadron aerospace 

propulsion craftsman, finishes moving an 

engine propeller on a C-130 Hercules aircraft 

at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. DLA Energy 

is helping the Air Force get better prices for 

fuel by helping the service switch from militaryspecifi cation jet fuel to commercial grade.
20 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

getting reduced, but when the customer 

brought this to our attention, we were 

able to exempt the B-2 until we can study 

it further,” Hopper said. “This kind of 

collaboration helps DLA provide targeted 

solutions to the Air Force.”

Three members of DLA’s Air Force 

National Account Manager Team are 

located with customers. Lisa Rutherford 

is with Air Force Materiel Command at 

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Her 

job is to assist customers with problems 

and help them plan future logistics support.

“Customers know that I’m here; 

they know that I’ll work their issues 

or put them in contact with the right 

person. I have enough background and 

experience with DLA’s processes that I can 

usually help customers on my own,” said 

Rutherford, who began her DLA career as 

a procurement technician and later served 

on DLA’s MRAP Surge Team in Iraq.

Air Force national account managers 

at DLA Headquarters partner closely 

with DLA Aviation’s customer support 

team, which also plays a large role in the 

effort to improve support. DLA Aviation 

RI¿FLDOVVSHQWWKHSDVW\HDULPSURYLQJ

retail support at air logistics complexes 

that provide depot maintenance and 

engineering support. A $200 million 

investment that increased the amount of 

engine repair parts at retail sites allowed 

the agency to reduce backorders by 25 

percent. As a result, there has been a 58 

percent cut in parts-related work delays 

at industrial sites, Hopper said.

DLA Aviation representatives are 

currently working with General Electric 

to place support for about 12,000 aircraft 

engine parts on a performance-based 

logistics contract by July. PBLs give 

contractors partial responsibility for 

material readiness and typically reduce 

repair time and costs to the military. 

)RUZDUGVWRFNVLQWKH3DFL¿FWKHDWHU

are also improving as a result of DLA’s 

SDUWQHUVKLSZLWK3DFL¿F$LU)RUFHVLQ

ZKLFKRI¿FLDOVRXWOLQHGSDUWVQHHGHGWR

increase readiness for the F-16 Fighting 

Falcon and the A-10 Warthogs on the 

Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Popke, an F-16 

Fighting Falcon aircraft engine mechanic, 

selects a compressor blade to install in the 

core module of an F-16 jet engine. DLA Aviation 

has partnered with Air Force customers to 

improve support for repair parts at logistics 

complexes that provide depot maintenance 

and engineering support. 

Air Force Senior Airman Amber Williams
Loglines O March - April 2014 21

Korean Peninsula. Hopper said Air Force 

customers have seen wait times for parts 

decrease by 40 percent.

And to support the upcoming shift 

RI$PHULFDQIRUFHVWRWKH3DFL¿FWKHDWHU

DLA Aviation recently moved 422 line 

items valued at $2.6 million to three 

distribution depots in the theater.

3+HDGTXDUWHUV3DFL¿F$LU)RUFHV

is pushing hard to rebalance support to 

ZDU¿JKWHUVDQGWKLVIRUZDUGVWRFNLQJ

initiative is absolutely essential. The 

success of this program can be attributed 

in large part to the support we’re getting 

from DLA,” said Don Casing, chief of 

PACAF’s Material Management Branch.

In fuel support, DLA Energy has 

helped the Air Force convert 29 stateside 

ORFDWLRQVIURPPLOLWDU\VSHFL¿FDWLRQMHW

fuel to commercial grade. DLA issued 

1.2 billion gallons of jet fuel to the Air 

)RUFHLQ¿VFDOVRWKHVZLWFKFRXOG

potentially save the Air Force about $25 

PLOOLRQ'/$(QHUJ\RI¿FLDOVVDLG7KH

conversion will also increase the supplier 

base, said Bruce Blank, deputy director of 

supplier operations for DLA Energy. 

“More competition will mean lower 

prices. Also, the move to commercial 

product allows us to make better use of 

existing commercial infrastructure,” he said. 

And by reducing DLA’s infrastructure 

for storage and distribution, the agency 

will be able to reduce customer costs even 

further, Blank continued.

In March, Air Force customers will get 

another chance to grade DLA’s support 

with a follow-up customer satisfaction 

survey that includes the same questions 

DLA scored low on during the 2013 survey. 

“I believe there will be a big jump in 

how our customers perceive us,” Hopper 

said. “It would certainly validate a year 

of staying late and working really hard. 

It would also show that DLA’s national 

account managers can have a huge affect 

on improving relationships with the 

services.” 

Air Force Senior Airman Sean Hamel, with 

the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National 

Guard, drains contaminated oil and fuel from 

the fuel oil cooler of an F-16 Fighting Falcon 

aircraft at the wing’s base in South Burlington, 

Vt. DLA Energy provided 1.2 billion gallons of 

jet fuel to the Air Force in fi scal 2013.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Jonathon Alderman

Air Force Airman 1st Class Jonathon Alderman

An Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber aircraft 

lands at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, after 

a long-range training sortie between Alaska 

and Guam. DLA is working with Air Force 

customers to ensure enough repair parts are 

available for the relatively small fl eet of B-2s.
22 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

Beyond the

Military Services

Story by Amanda Neumann

he Defense Logistics Agency is 

improving and expanding its 

logistics services to not only the 

military, but also to several federal 

agencies, both large and small.

“Obviously our primary customers are the 

PLOLWDU\VHUYLFHVDQGWKHZDU¿JKWHU ́VDLG

David Kless, national account manager 

in DLA Logistics Operations. “But as we 

go from supporting two wars, ... part of 

the director’s guidance was to look to 

expand DLA’s customer base. Federal 

agencies have logistics requirements; they 

have customers they have to support. So 

our approach has been, ‘Hey, if there’s a 

ORJLVWLFVUHTXLUHPHQWWKDWFDQEH¿OOHG

through an existing logistics solution that 

DLA provides, why don’t we leverage that 

instead of creating a different solution 

just because they’re not under [the 

'HSDUWPHQWRI'HIHQVH@"¶ ́

Before DLA agrees to take on a federal 

DJHQF\DVDFXVWRPHURI¿FLDOVPXVWORRN

at several issues, to include any legal 

UDPL¿FDWLRQVRUQHFHVVDU\SROLF\FKDQJHV

Kless said.

T

22 www.dla.mil

articulate what their problem is, especially 

LIWKH\GRQ¶WKDYHORJLVWLFVH[SHULHQFH ́KH

said. “So a lot of it is listening to what their 

concerns and problems are and then trying 

to translate that information into a DLA 

capability. And there are a lot of capabilities 

that DLA can provide that aren’t unique to 

DPLOLWDU\VHUYLFHRUDZDU¿JKWHU,W¶VQRW

your mother’s DLA anymore. Our approach 

has been, and [the DLA director’s] direction 

is, if it makes sense and someone out there 

“You have to say, ‘OK, if you’re going 

to do business with DLA, do you have the 

DELOLW\WRFRPPXQLFDWHZLWKRXUV\VWHPV"¶ ́

he said. “‘How are you going to order 

WKLQJV"+RZDUHWKH¿QDQFHVKDQGOHG"¶$OO

of those things are different and unique 

for each organization. What works for one 

GRHVQ¶WDOZD\VZRUNIRUWKHRWKHUV ́

6RPHWLPHVSLQSRLQWLQJDVSHFL¿F

problem can be a challenge, Kless said.

“The customer may not know how to 

Philippine service members at Villamor Air 

Base in Manila move relief supplies destined 

for regions affected by Typhoon Bopha in 

December 2012. In the wake of a natural disaster or humanitarian relief mission, the Defense 

Logistics Agency is able to assist federal agencies, like the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, thanks to interagency agreements.

Marine Corps Lt. Jean-Scott Dodd
Loglines O March - April 2014 23

FDQEHFRPHPRUHHIIHFWLYHDQGHI¿FLHQWE\

OHYHUDJLQJ'/$WKHQOHW¶VGRLW ́

For DLA, the key to success has been 

in cultivating strong relationships with the 

agencies despite organizational differences, 

Kless said.

“Federal agencies are a different type 

RIFXVWRPHUWKH\DUHYHU\LQGHSHQGHQW ́

he said. “There are instances where the 

acquisition people may not talk to the 

logistics people, yet they’re all under 

the same organization. So working with 

IHGHUDODJHQFLHVLVGH¿QLWHO\DGLIIHUHQW

environment and different mentality 

than working with the military services, 

however, not unlike similar challenges we 

faced with the military services years ago 

ZKHQZH¿UVWEHJDQZRUNLQJZLWKWKHP ́

Ultimately, the goal of working with 

federal agencies is to cut costs across the 

entire government, Kless said.

“We have multiple customers, 

multiple accounts, all at different stages 

RIPDWXULW\ ́KHVDLG32XUVXFFHVV

perpetuates more success. But we’re 

looking forward at what’s best for the whole 

RIJRYHUQPHQW,QWKHQHDUWHUPWKHUHPD\

be a cost to DLA to do something upfront, 

EXWWKHORQJWHUPEHQH¿WZRXOGEHQH¿WWKH

whole of government. That’s when it’s a 

win-win, when it’s not purely from a DLA 

or a federal agency standpoint but from the 

IHGHUDOJRYHUQPHQW¶V ́

FEDERAL EMERGENCY 

MANAGEMENT AGENCY 

,Q+XUULFDQH.DWULQDRQHRI

the strongest storms to impact the United 

States, hit the Gulf Coast region, causing 

catastrophic damage and creating chaos for 

¿UVWUHVSRQGHUV,WDOVRIRUFHG'/$DQGWKH

Federal Emergency Management Agency to 

work more closely together.

“The interagency agreement and 

the strategic partnership DLA has with 

FEMA was a direct result of [lessons 

learned during Hurricane] Katrina, when 

there were duplicate efforts going on 

DQGUHDOO\QRFRRUGLQDWLRQ ́.OHVVVDLG

“We had two agencies providing disaster 

relief support and no communication, so 

we needed to leverage capabilities and 

GHYHORSDSDUWQHUVKLS ́

:KHWKHULW¶VDÀRRG¿UHWRUQDGR

hurricane or earthquake, when a natural 

disaster hits, support and assistance comes 

IURPWKHLPSDFWHGDUHD¿UVW2QFHORFDO

supplies and resources are exhausted, 

calls for assistance go out to the state. 

Once the state resources are exhausted or 

overwhelmed, then requests are forwarded 

to federal agencies, like FEMA, said Dan 

Strausbaugh, a customer account manager 

in DLA Logistics Operations. FEMA is the 

lead agency for the federal government 

supporting natural and man-made 

disasters in the continental United States.

“Once FEMA gets the call, they have 

distribution centers across the nation and 

WKH\VWDUWZRUNLQJWKHLUVXSSOLHVLQ ́KHVDLG

“But once they feel that there’s something 

they don’t have or they don’t have enough 

of, that’s when they reach out to [the 

Defense Department] because we have a 

phenomenal capability that stretches from 

cradle to grave in the supply chains. So we’re 

working closely with them to ... let them 

NQRZWKDWZH¶UHVWDQGLQJUHDG\IRUWKHP ́

DLA’s quick turnaround times for 

VXSSOLHVDUHDKXJHEHQH¿WWR)(0$

Strausbaugh said.

“DLA has an awesome ability that 

UHVWVLQQHWZRUNLQJ ́KHVDLG3:HKDYH

stocks on hand at 18 distribution centers 

in the United States. We can react with the 

closest distribution center to that impacted 

area and start sending backup reserves 

afterwards to keep the sustainment of 

support going by relying on an enormous 

QHWZRUNRIFDSDELOLWLHV,W¶VDQDZHVRPH

FDSDELOLW\WKDWFDQÀH[RQDPRPHQW¶V

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Timothy Hageny maneuvers 

a pallet of bottled water in a trailer full of 

disaster relief supplies stocked in support of 

recovery efforts for Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 

With almost 20 distribution centers located 

in the United States, the Defense Logistics 

Agency’s supply chains assists with natural 

disaster relief and humanitarian efforts through 

an interagency partnership with FEMA.

Air Forcde Master Sgt. Emily Beightol-Deyerle
24 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

notice. DLA has come a long way to get us 

in the position where we can do that quick 

reaction and get ahead of things before it 

gets any worse for the impacted civilians. 

[Hurricane] Sandy was a test to see how big 

of an operation DLA could push out there, 

DQGZHSDVVHGZLWKPRUHWKDQÀ\LQJFRORUV

'/$ÀH[HGDQGLPSUHVVHGHYHU\ERG\ ́

DLA is coordinating and collaborating 

to change from an interagency agreement 

with FEMA to more of a pre-scripted 

mission assignment, which streamlines a 

clear line of funding requirements, making 

it easier and quicker for DLA to respond to 

disaster requirements, Strausbaugh said.

“As everyone knows, the DoD and 

federal budget lines are being cut each 

\HDU ́KHVDLG37KHVHSUHVFULSWHGPLVVLRQ

assignments streamline the mission 

assignment process at U.S. Northern 

Command and make sure funding is no 

longer an issue. What we would like to do 

is set it up so that we’re poised and ready 

to go when FEMA and/or U.S. Northern 

Command say they need support. Then, 

we can push out the commercial meals, 

bottled water, cots, blankets and clothing 

more quickly when needed. Plus, we can 

get [DLA’s Joint Contingency Acquisition 

6XSSRUW2I¿FH@WRZRUNZLWKWKHPDV

well to help with local contracting for 

generators, water pumps, portable X-ray 

PDFKLQHVDQGDQ\WKLQJ¿UVWUHVSRQGHUV

UHTXLUHWRVXSSRUWWKHDIIHFWHGFLYLOLDQV ́

Although receiving fuel quickly in 

areas with damaged infrastructure is a 

top priority for FEMA, DLA’s vast supply 

chains can also provide many other items 

to support disaster relief, Strausbaugh said.

“At this point, fuel is the biggest 

commodity that FEMA is looking for. 

Nobody else can do what we do in that 

DUHQD ́KHVDLG3:KHQHYHU\RQHHOVHVHHPV

to be running out of resources, we can still 

throw things in like direct vendor delivery 

or local procurement through our JCASO 

RI¿FH,Q'/$LW¶VHQGOHVVQHWZRUNLQJDQG

endless resources. [A disaster] could hit one 

minute from now, and we’re poised and 

UHDG\WRH[HFXWH ́

Another asset assisting FEMA is DLA’s 

Distribution Expeditionary Operational 

Capability, a team supporting humanitarian 

assistance and disaster relief missions 

Photo courtesy DLA Distribution

Stock gets transferred to one of the three 

warehouses at DLA Distribution Bahrain, the 

Defense Logistics Agency’s newest distribution 

center. DLA has partnered with the General 

Services Administration to forward position bulk 

consumable items, such as toilet paper and 

paper towels, in the warehouse, allowing direct 

fufi llment of customer needs. 
Loglines O March - April 2014 25

“[Hurricane] Sandy was a test to see how big of an operation DLA 

could push out there, and we passed with more than fl ying colors. 

We fl exed and impressed everybody.”

— Dan Strausbaugh

both inside and out of the United States. 

Capable of rapid worldwide deployment of 

both personnel and equipment, the team 

responds very quickly to requests from 

FEMA when needed.

GENERAL SERVICES 

ADMINISTRATION

DLA and GSA have a strong 

partnership that goes back several years. 

6LQFHWKHVWDUWRIWKHZDUVLQ,UDTDQG

Afghanistan, GSA and DLA have been 

RSHUDWLQJVLGHE\VLGHRQWKHEDWWOH¿HOG

providing logistics support required by 

86ZDU¿JKWHUV-RH)DULVEXVLQHVV

development director at DLA Distribution 

in New Cumberland, Pa., said.

 “Previously, when we set up our 

distribution center in Kuwait, we had an 

HQWLUHVTXDUHIRRWZDUHKRXVH

that we dedicated for GSA material to 

be forward pre-positioned with DLA 

'LVWULEXWLRQ ́KHVDLG35HFHQWO\ZH¶YH

taken that same concept and we’ve forward 

positioned GSA materials into our new 

distribution center in Bahrain. With almost 

VTXDUHIHHWRIZDUHKRXVHVSDFHLQ

%DKUDLQ*6$ZLOOKDYHDGD\VXSSO\RI

stock on hand, including bulk items like 

toilet paper, paper towels and shop rags, to 

GLUHFWO\IXO¿OOFXVWRPHUQHHGV)DULVVDLG

While both organizations have been 

successful at supporting the other, leaders 

realize a lot can still be done to make the 

QDWLRQDOVXSSO\V\VWHPPRUHHI¿FLHQWDQG

effective by removing duplicate efforts and 

leveraging each other’s core competencies. 

,QWKHSDVWPRVWRIWKHMRLQWHIIRUWV

focused on distribution. A backlog of 

delayed cargo going to overseas military 

customers helped kick start the partnership 

between DLA and GSA, Farris said. GSA 

already partners with the agency by using 

DLA’s container consolidation points in 

Susquehanna, Pa., and San Joaquin, Calif., 

to get supplies to those customers.

“GSA vendors send material into those 

two locations to go with other materials 

that we’re sending to customers in Europe, 

86&HQWUDO&RPPDQGDQG863DFL¿F

&RPPDQG ́KHVDLG3%XWVRPHWLPHVWKH

material that comes in from their vendors 

is not marked and addressed properly to 

WKH'R'FXVWRPHUWKDWRUGHUHGLW ́

When material arrives and can’t 

be turned around quickly, it becomes 

3IUXVWUDWHG ́RUVWXFNDWWKH&&3V)DULV

said. To remedy this, DLA reached out 

to GSA and recommended they use 

DLA’s vendor shipment module, a set of 

military shipping labels and addresses, 

As part of the federal tornado recovery effort, 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors 

secure a tree stump before hauling it from a 

tornado-damaged home lot in Joplin, Mo., 

in July 2011. During natural disasters, DLA 

Disposition Services can partner with the 

Corps to handle tasks such as debris removal. 

Chris Gray, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District
26 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

ensuring both organizations are labelling 

cargo the same way. By providing the 

module to GSA and its vendors, DLA 

hopes to be able to reduce or eliminate that 

frustrated cargo in the future, Faris said.

,QDGGLWLRQWRWKHLPSURYHPHQWVPDGH

LQGLVWULEXWLRQWKHUHKDVEHHQVLJQL¿FDQW

progress in expanding the DLA/GSA 

SDUWQHUVKLSLQWRRWKHUDUHDV,QHDUO\

February, DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. 

0DUN+DUQLWFKHNDQGDVHQLRU*6$RI¿FLDO

signed a memorandum of understanding 

focusing on six initiatives that aim to 

reduce duplication of effort between the 

WZRRUJDQL]DWLRQVFUHDWLQJDPRUHHI¿FLHQW

and effective national supply chain for 

common customers.

GSA is currently transitioning from 

managing physical inventory to managing 

deliveries direct from its vendors, something 

DLA did several years ago, Kless said. The 

organization is looking to DLA to help it 

make the transition seamless to customers. 

As a result of this effort, GSA in the process 

of closing its primary distribution centers at 

Sharpe, Calif., and Burlington, N.J. This will 

UHVXOWLQ'/$PDQDJLQJDERXWLWHPV

that GSA had managed previously. DLA 

will move this material into is distribution 

centers in Susquehanna, Pa.; San Joaquin, 

Calif.; and Hill, Utah, to support several 

customers, including the U.S. Forest 

6HUYLFH¶VZLOG¿UHSURJUDP

3,W¶VMXVWDQRWKHUZD\'/$LVJHWWLQJ

LQWRWKHZKROHRIJRYHUQPHQWEXVLQHVV ́

Faris said.

,QDGGLWLRQWRWKHVHLQLWLDWLYHVERWK

sides are also looking at the feasibility of 

creating a single electronic mall for the 

federal government, thereby making it easier 

for customers to order what they need. 

“The future is not only very exciting 

IRU*6$DQG'/$EXWIRURXUFXVWRPHUV ́

Kless said.

U.S. COAST GUARD

With more than six initiatives in 

the works, one of DLA’s biggest federal 

partnerships involves the Coast Guard, 

said Barbara Shaffer, customer account 

manager for the Coast Guard in DLA 

Logistics Operations.

“Last year, we took over management 

of the Coast Guard’s unique consumable 

LWHPVIRUWKHLUIRRWSDWUROERDW ́VKH

said. “And the plan is to do that for almost 

all their items. After a review in November 

ZHLGHQWL¿HGDERXWDGGLWLRQDO

items that the Coast Guard is going to 

transfer to us for integrated material 

Telfair H. Brown

A rigid-hull infl atable smallboat, known as a 

Safeboat, patrols the waters of Washington, 

D.C., as part of homeland security operations. 

In an effort to streamline inventory and reduce 

operating costs, the Department of Homeland 

Security recently partnered with the Defense 

Logistics Agency to effi ciently consolidate its 

large leased warehouses in the national capitol.
Loglines O March - April 2014 27

management. So we’re moving beyond that 

platform-by-platform methodology and 

just saying, ‘Hey, if it’s an item that meets 

WKHPRGHOVHQGLWWR'/$¶ ́

This year, DLA is focusing on three 

areas: ensure the Coast Guard receives 

support from each of DLA’s supply chains, 

¿QLVKWKHWUDQVIHURIUHVSRQVLELOLW\IRU

remaining unique consumable items, 

and help the Coast Guard lock down its 

inventory strategy, Shaffer said.

37KH&RDVW*XDUGLVUHDOO\ÀXVKZLWK

inventory, which is very expensive to 

PDLQWDLQ ́VKHVDLG3:H¶UHWU\LQJWRKHOS

them formulate what their inventory 

strategy should be. For them, a million 

dollars in inventory savings is a substantial 

portion of their annual budget for 

consumables that can be put back into 

maintenance. So we want to help them 

use our demand planning and inventory 

PRGHOVWRKHOSRSWLPL]HWKHLUHI¿FLHQF\DQG

JHWEDFNWRWKHLUFRUHFRPSHWHQFLHV ́

6LQFH'/$KDVEHHQZRUNLQJ

with the Coast Guard, helping to lay the 

foundation for how DLA does business with 

other federal agencies, Shaffer said.

“We’ve taken the lessons learned 

from the logistics reassignments, the 

transferring of NSNs and the distribution 

DQGZDUHKRXVLQJLVVXHVWKDW,¶YHGRQHIRU

the Coast Guard and we’re using that same 

basic imprint now for [the Department 

RI+RPHODQG6HFXULW\@ ́VKHVDLG3,W¶VD

good template; it works really well. And it’s 

very helpful to have a non-DoD model to 

present to other agencies and say, ‘We’re 

providing them with complete end-to-end 

supply chain management, here’s how that’s 

ZRUNLQJDQGKRZLWFDQZRUNIRU\RXWRR¶ ́

,QDGGLWLRQ'/$LVLQFOXGLQJWKH&RDVW

Guard’s requirements in another initiative, 

DoD’s Chemical Management Services, 

a solution to consolidate the military’s 

management of hazardous material and 

hazardous waste by region, Shaffer said.

3,QVWHDGRIHYHU\VLQJOHIDFLOLW\DQG

base out there having a third-party contract 

to purchase, manage and dispose of their 

KD]DUGRXVZDVWHWKLVLVD'R'ZLGHHIIRUW ́

she said. “Here, everybody is using the 

same software and reporting systems and 

OHYHUDJLQJWKHEHQH¿WVWKDW\RXFDQJHW

IURPDKXJHFRQWUDFW5LJKWQRZZH¶UHDW

the very preliminary stages of identifying 

the biggest Coast Guard hazardous material 

and hazardous waste sites. Then, as we roll 

out the [four] regional CMS contracts, we’ll 

IROGWKH&RDVW*XDUGUHTXLUHPHQWVLQWRLW ́

The next entity to be rolled under the 

&06FRQWUDFWVLVWKH1DY\ÀHHWUHDGLQHVV

centers, most of which are close to Coast 

cuard sites, Shaffer said.

“The Navy is located coastally, and so 

is the Coast Guard, so it’s the most obvious 

RSSRUWXQLW\WRUROOWKH&RDVW*XDUGLQ ́VKH

said. “By consolidating [management of 

hazardous material] on a regional basis and 

hooking the Coast Guard up with larger 

sites, they’ll have less inventory to hold and 

less to dispose of, saving them on both the 

LQYHQWRU\DQGGLVSRVDOVLGH ́

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

,QHDUO\DIWHUEHLQJPDQGDWHGWR

freeze its footprint with respect to leased 

warehouses and infrastructure, DHS began 

to look at consolidating its large facilities 

in three major locations: Miami, California 

and Washington, D.C. Starting with the 

national capital region, DHS came to DLA 

for assistance, said Jon Hill, a logistics 

management specialist in DLA Logistics 

Operations. DLA provided the department 

“Since we currently manage DoD’s pandemic response program, it 

made sense to work with [DHS] to transition management of their 

program to our facilities.” 

— John Hill

An H1N1 infl uenza vaccine dose is drawn for 

injection at a troop medical clinic at Camp As 

Sayliyah, Qatar. By April 2014, the Defense 

Logistics Agency will assume management of 

the Department of Homeland Security’s stock 

of medications and other items to deal with 

pandemic infl uenza, allowing DLA to be the 

primary resource for infl uenza stock for both 

DHS and the Department of Defense.

Dustin Senger, Area Support Group Qatar Public Affairs Offi ce
28 www.dla.mil

SERVICE TEAMS

side-by-side support

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

The devastation of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, which tore through the Caribbean and up 

the East Coast, provided a new customer – 

the Army Corps of Engineers – to DLA by 

accident, said David Kless, national account 

manager in DLA Logistics Operations.

“The corps partnership came out of 

[Hurricane] Sandy,” he said. “They came to us 

and said, ‘Hey, there was a lot you did to help 

us, why don’t we look at formalizing this?’ So 

now, we’re trying to establish a memorandum 

of agreement and work that partnership so 

we have the ability to support them.”

Named as one of the primary federal 

agencies for emergency support functions, 

the Army Corps of Engineers gets direct 

supply requests for items such as bottled 

water and services like debris removal, 

said Dan Strausbaugh, customer account 

manager in DLA Logistics Operations.

“The big ticket item there [for DLA] is 

what we can do to support them with their 

ESFs,” he said. “The scope is going to vary 

from whatever incident occurs. If it’s a very 

small incident, we might not get anything at 

all. If it’s a medium-sized event, we may come 

in with providing fuel for their generators and 

perhaps have [DLA] Disposition Services 

help them with cutting up and getting rid of 

some trash. The duration of that event obviously has a big play in what type of support 

they’re going to require from DLA.”

— Amanda Neumann

information about DLA Distribution 

centers and the agency’s efforts to more 

HI¿FLHQWO\VWRUHDQGVKLSVXSSOLHV

“We gave them recommendations 

and analyses of ways to streamline their 

SURFHVVHVWRFUHDWHHI¿FLHQWORJLVWLFV

VROXWLRQVLQWKRVHIDFLOLWLHV ́KHVDLG3$QG

we partnered them up to talk with the 

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7URRS6XSSRUWDQG'/$'LVWULEXWLRQ ́

As part of the effort to help DHS 

VWUHDPOLQHLQYHQWRU\'/$FRPSOHWHG

warehouse site visits in the Washington, 

D.C., area and soon noticed that assistance 

ZLWK'+6¶VODUJHSDQGHPLFLQÀXHQ]D

vaccine inventory was something the 

agency could offer right away, Hill said.

“[Assuming management of] their 

pandemic inventory was a quick-win 

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he said. “They have a very segmented 

SURJUDPWKDWKDVDERXWPLOOLRQRI

inventory spread out over their nine 

subcomponents. Since we currently 

manage DoD’s pandemic response 

program, it made sense to work with them 

to transition management of their program 

WRRXUIDFLOLWLHV ́

After working with DHS to account 

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took inventory of DHS’s personal protective 

equipment, such as masks, suits and gloves, 

as well as its medical countermeasures, 

OLNH7DPLÀXDQGRWKHUPHGLFDWLRQV:LWK

numbers in hand, DLA quickly rolled out a 

plan of action, Hill said.

“First, we plan to transition medical 

countermeasures from DHS warehouses to 

DLA Distribution centers in San Joaquin 

and Susquehanna. Next we’ll look at 

DLA Distribution centers in the U.S. for 

strategic positioning of personal protective 

HTXLSPHQW,QWKHHYHQWRIDSDQGHPLF

outbreak, we can distribute down to the 

closest DHS location at a much faster rate. 

From there, DLA would source, manage 

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DQG'+6 ́

2QFHDSDQGHPLFLQÀXHQ]DRXWEUHDNLV

suspected and vaccine stock is requested, 

several things happen at once, Hill said.

32QFH'+6JHWVWKHRI¿FLDORXWEUHDN

statement from the Department of Health 

and Human Services, DHS will let us know 

where they need the materials, for what 

number of days and how soon they need 

WKHP ́KHVDLG3$QGWKDWFRXOGEHDVVRRQ

DVWRKRXUV7KDWQRWL¿FDWLRQZLOO

come through DLA Distribution, whose 

employees pick, pack and palletize the 

materials, then put them on the most 

expeditious manner of transportation to get 

PDWHULDOVWRWKHORFDWLRQVQHHGHG ́

For DLA, the goal is to eliminate 

repetitive buys of the same items across 

the federal government by allowing 

DLA be the primary provider for DHS’s 

inventory, Hill said.

“Our goal is to be managing their 

entire pandemic inventory stock by April 

 ́KHVDLG3%\'HFHPEHUZH¶OO

Hurricane Sandy NASA Photo

A PARTNERSHIP IN PROGRESS
Loglines O March - April 2014 29

give them solutions to help consolidate or 

reduce a lot of that warehousing, and we 

want DLA to be the source for their primary 

logistics support. Eventually, we want to 

become a full-service supply chain manager 

for DHS and its subcomponents. We’re 

getting the best value, using economies 

of scale and the whole of government 

logistics approach, especially since what’s 

good for the military services are the exact 

same things being utilized by the federal 

DJHQFLHVVRZK\QRW" ́

By obtaining management of DHS’s 

inventory, DLA hopes to eventually lower 

prices for both agencies, Hill said.

“Later on, we may get to a point 

where, once we build up assurances 

and continued trust factors, we can 

KDYHRXUYHQGRUVGHOLYHUWRDVSHFL¿F

DHS location as needed, like we do 

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WKDW¶VIRUWKFRPLQJ,QWKHPHDQWLPH

by incorporating the numbers we need 

to support DHS through our current 

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By cutting down on leased annual 

warehouse space and reducing operating 

costs, the initiative will generate substantial 

savings for DHS, Hill said.

“Based on the inventory data, DLA 

Distribution did a space determination 

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OLNHZLWKMXVWWKH>SDQGHPLFLQÀXHQ]D

stock] alone, we can save DHS anywhere 

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PLOOLRQD\HDU ́

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agency takes to get to working with DLA, 

each partnership helps open the door for 

additional support opportunities in the 

future, Hill said.

35LJKWQRZ'/$LVRQO\GRLQJELWV

DQGSLHFHVIRUGLIIHUHQWDJHQFLHV ́KH

said. “We supply food and different 

materials for FEMA; we’re working with 

the Coast Guard with respect to certain 

aspects of their inventories; and now 

we’re working with DHS. [And] it brings 

a lot of great credibility to what we do 

here in terms of our communications 

with other agencies outside of DLA and 

beyond the DoD. But ultimately, our goal 

is to form strong relationships, expand 

services and become the source of their 

primary logistics support. And we’re only 

MXVWEHJLQQLQJ ́

Senior Airman Mitchell Chandler loads cases 

of bottled water into a truck at McConnell Air 

Force Base after a deadly tornado passed 

through Moore, Okla., Kan., May 21, 2013. 

Thanks to an interagency agreement, federal 

agencies, such as the FEMA can rely on assistance from the DLA during natural disasters 

and humanitarian relief efforts. 

Air Force Senior Airman Katrina M. Brisbin
A Conversation with . . .

30 www.dla.mil

How did the Military Service 

Support Division get its start?

The Military Service Support 

Division as we know it today was 

created in 2003 as part of the agency’s 

implementation of its Business 

Systems Modernization initiative. 

Because of the emphasis on customer 

relationship management, the division 

was originally named Customer 

Support and Operations. Support 

teams were created for each of the 

four military services along with a 

¿IWKWHDPWRVXSSRUWIHGHUDODJHQFLHV

Michael Van House

Michael Van House, acting deputy director of operations in DLA Logistics Operations.

DLA Logistics Operations’ acting deputy director of operations discusses how the Military Service 

Support Division got its start and how its mission has evolved along with U.S. military operations and 

expanded to include other federal government organizations. 

and international programs. That’s 

essentially the same organizational 

construct we have today. 

How has the mission evolved?

The scope of support that the 

Military Service Support Division 

provides today has expanded 

greatly over the past decade in 

response to the services’ changing 

operational requirements. In addition 

to supporting two separate wars 

post-9/11, we also support several 

other federal agencies such as the 

Coast Guard, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, Department 

of Homeland Security, General 

Services Administration, various 

law enforcement agencies, and the 

Foreign Military Sales program. We 

are doing more now than we have 

at any point in the past, and more 

HIIHFWLYHO\PRUHHI¿FLHQWO\DQGDW

less cost to the customer. 

What do you see as the value of the 

military service support teams? 

The military service support 

teams are a vitally important resource 

for the agency. They serve as DLA’s 

face to the customer. Each team 

is composed of a national account 

manager, a customer account 

manager, and customer support reps 

on the ground who are collocated with 

their customers. Through their daily 

interaction and on-site collaboration 

with military and federal agency 

representatives at all levels, the teams 

build strong relationships – trust – 

with the customers that DLA will be 

there to support them. 

How do you tailor the support DLA 

provides to the services?

Each of the four military services 

and the various federal agencies 

we support are different. They 

have different missions, different 

requirements and different cultures. 

Navy Petty Offi cer 1st Class Daniel Garas
DLA Public Affairs

Loglines O March - April 2014 31

That said, there is commonality in 

the type of logistics support DLA 

provides, i.e., food is food, fuel is 

fuel, etc. The military service support 

teams are the conduit between the 

services and DLA and have the 

important responsibility of ensuring 

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and that the scope of support is 

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What feedback have you received 

from the services on the value your 

teams add? 

We receive customer feedback in 

many different ways: during senior 

leader engagements, at annual 

military service days, at meetings and 

conferences, in response to formal 

customer surveys, and perhaps most 

LPSRUWDQWO\IURPWKHZDU¿JKWHU

on the ground who depends on 

our support. In every instance, the 

feedback we receive is consistently 

outstanding. During the most recent 

customer survey that was taken by 

senior leaders across the services, 

we received a customer satisfaction 

rating of nearly 80 percent. Our 

service teams have a reputation 

for always going the extra mile to 

accomplish the mission. 

As the services draw down from 

the U.S. Central Command area of 

operations, how do you see the role 

of the service teams changing?

As the military services continue 

to draw down in Afghanistan, our 

military support teams have the 

added responsibility of supporting 

retrograde operations and helping 

reset the force for future operations. 

That focus will likely remain for 

at least the next several years, and 

there will also be an increased 

HPSKDVLVRQWKH3DFL¿FUHJLRQ

DVGLFWDWHGE\WKH2I¿FHRIWKH

Secretary of Defense. As our teams 

have demonstrated through other 

periods of change, they will continue 

to provide great support to the 

services and federal agencies and 

maintain DLA’s reputation as a worldclass combat logistics support agency. 

Do you see other opportunities outside the traditional DLA support?

Yes, absolutely. As I mentioned 

earlier, a prime example of other 

opportunities outside the traditional 

support DLA provides is the great 

work our federal and international 

programs team is doing. In an effort 

to better support the customer, 

we’ve established several new 

support “lanes” for various federal 

agencies such as the Coast Guard, 

FEMA, DHS, GSA, etc., along with 

international programs such as 

Foreign Military Sales. Logistics is 

what we do, and we can do this more 

HIIHFWLYHO\HI¿FLHQWO\DQGDWOHVVFRVW

to the customer. 

In what ways did you interact with 

DLA prior to becoming a senior 

leader here?

Like many of us who now serve 

at this great agency, I was primarily a 

customer to DLA. As a commander in 

WKH¿HOG,GHSHQGHGKHDYLO\RQ'/$

for support. My ability to accomplish 

the assigned mission depended on 

equipment readiness and ensuring 

the troops had what they needed to 

get the job done. Food, fuel, individual 

combat equipment, construction 

material, medical supplies, repair 

parts and more – I counted on DLA 

to be there when I needed them. And 

they never let me down. 

Based on your breadth of 

experience, what leadership 

priorities are most important for 

you and your subordinate Military 

Service Support Division leaders?

First and foremost, to 

understand that the customer 

LVSULRULW\RQHWKHZDU¿JKWHU

forward-deployed or in garrison, 

who needs and depends on our 

support. I expect my subordinate 

leaders to do everything within 

their authority to provide 

responsive and best-value logistics 

support to the customer. And as 

leaders within DLA, it’s imperative 

that we hold ourselves to the 

highest standards of performance 

and conduct and to always do 

what’s right and best for the 

customer and the American 

taxpayer. We must be good 

stewards of the resources entrusted 

to our use. 

“During the most recent customer survey that was taken by senior 

leaders across the services, we received a customer satisfaction rating 

of nearly 80 percent. Our service teams have a reputation for always 

going the extra mile to accomplish the mission.”
32 www.dla.mil

Story by Navy Petty Offi cer 1st Class Daniel Garas

he Defense Logistics Agency 

is working to make managing 

hazardous materials easier for 

the military services by developing 

a Defense Department-wide standardized chemical management system. 

“All across the services, everyone 

has to handle HAZMAT,” said David 

Koch, division chief for supply chain 

integration in DLA Logistics Operations. 

“What we thought is, ‘Instead of 

everyone doing this on their own, what 

if there’s a common service that did 

this?’ Then it would be much cheaper 

for all involved.”

One of DLA’s newest initiatives, 

Chemical Management Services, is 

working to save time and resources by 

doing just that.

 Carolyn Liebeck, DLA’s program 

manager for CMS, said the agency is 

ZRUNLQJZLWKWKHPLOLWDU\VHUYLFHVWR¿QG

ways where it’s possible to centralize 

handling hazardous material. 

“Right now it’s decentralized,” she 

said. “Our goal is to reduce operating 

costs and reduce infrastructure.”

The idea of centralizing management 

of hazardous materials isn’t a new one, 

Koch and Liebeck explained. The concept 

T third-party logistics contractor manage 

it,” she said.

One service branch taking note 

of DLA’s CMS is the Marine Corps, 

which recently awarded a contract for 

management of chemicals to DLA.

The contract was designed to offer 

chemical management services at 

VHYHUDOEDVHVLQWKH3DFL¿FLQFOXGLQJ

at Iwakuni and Okinawa, Japan, Guam 

and Australia. Another contract is 

in the works to handle management 

of chemicals for the Marine Corps, 

beginning on the West Coast at Marine 

Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. 

Jim Lettinhand, head of the Marine 

Corps’ Total Life Cycle Management 

2I¿FHVDLGWKHFRUSVLVORRNLQJIRU'/$WR

apply commercial industry best practices 

in meeting environmental, health and 

safety goals for his service’s management 

of chemicals.

“Programs like [DLA’s] CMS serve as 

the single point of contact for all regional 

customers desiring to obtain chemical 

products and services,” he said

Lettinhand explained that CMS will 

assist the Marine Corps in determining 

parameters to support 7-14 days’ worth of 

inventories. This will include facilitating 

received new emphasis in 2010 as part 

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VSHDUKHDGHGE\WKH2I¿FHRIWKH6HFUHWDU\

of Defense. Experts estimated that 

HI¿FLHQFLHVUDQJLQJIURPSHUFHQWWR

percent could be achieved through the use 

of joint standardization and consolidation 

of budgets to manage CMS. 

 “We’re working at reducing the 

footprint of the labor and the acquisition 

associated with HAZMAT by having a 

“Knowing that you have a 

good program in place that 

is going to be in compliance 

with all environmental law and 

handle all of your chemical 

management services from 

cradle to grave is a big deal. 

There’s potential to allow us to 

be much more effi cient.”

— Dennis Crimiel

Chemical 

Management 

Services
Loglines O March - April 2014 33
34 www.dla.mil

delivery, storage and receipt processing into 

an electronic chemical tracking system. 

He said the Marine Corps working 

with DLA to handle its HAZMAT services 

will lead to reduced cost, increased 

operational effectiveness and better 

safety for Marines while providing a 

standardized process for disposal. 

Another organization watching 

DLA’s CMS initiative with interest is the 

Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard plans to partner 

with DLA to piggyback on an existing 

DLA contract supporting the Navy at 

ÀHHWUHDGLQHVVFHQWHUVLQ1RUWK&DUROLQD

Florida and California, which will reduce 

the amount of contracts it needs to 

manage its HAZMAT. 

“Knowing that you have a good 

program in place that is going to be in 

compliance with all environmental law and 

handle all of your chemical management 

services from cradle to grave is a big 

deal,” said Dennis Crimiel, deputy chief 

RIWKH2I¿FHRI/RJLVWLFVDW&RDVW*XDUG

Headquarters. “There’s potential to allow 

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Crimiel added that having DLA 

potentially take on the Coast Guard’s 

HAZMAT duties is appealing because 

of DLA’s established professionalism 

DQGÀH[LELOLW\

“The level of support has been just 

outstanding,” Crimiel said. “I think our 

leadership is looking at what we can do 

through our partnership that’s going 

to pay dividends, not just for the Coast 

Guard, but for DLA, as well.”

$QRWKHUEHQH¿WRIKDYLQJ

consolidating contract is the ability to 

reduce facilities and costs. 

If DLA can help facilitate purchasing 

hazardous chemicals under a larger 

umbrella in a certain region, it reduces 

costs, Liebeck explained.

“One larger contract is better because 

bases will have better asset visibility over 

an entire region,” she said.

Liebeck said savings from such 

an effort will take time, but her team 

estimates such savings over time could 

UDQJHIURPWRSHUFHQW

Koch also noted that expanding 

missions is a goal for DLA in its quest 

WRSURYLGHWKHPRVWHI¿FLHQWVXSSRUWWR

the military services.

“Doing well with this shows our 

capability to take on new logistics 

responsibilities as an agency,” Koch said. 

“We are saving the government money and 

offering customers an additional service.” 

“I think our leadership is looking at what we can do 

through our partnership that’s going to pay dividends, not 

just for the Coast Guard, but for DLA, as well.”

— Dennis Crimiel

Scott Peterson

Decontaminated barrels sit at a facility built 

to treat military-generated hazardous waste 

at Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. DLA’s CMS 

initiative can reduce operating costs and 

infrastructure associated with managing 

HAZMAT.
LogPoints DLA Public Affairs

BY THE NUMBERS

“Our wholesale performance is better than it’s ever been; we have fewer 

backorders than we’ve ever had; and we’re doing it with about $4 billion less in 

inventory. Think about that; that’s really impressive.”

— DLA Director Navy Vice. Adm. Mark Harnitchek, at his Feb. 12 Director’s Call with DLA employees.

“Ethics and character are absolute values that we cannot take 

for granted. They must be constantly reinforced. It is the 

responsibility of all of us — all of us who ask for the trust and 

FRQ¿GHQFHRIWKH$PHULFDQSHRSOH2WRHQVXUHWKHVHYDOXHV

are imbued in all our people and we all live up to them.” 

— Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, during a Feb. 7 

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“Just think about the kind of work our men and women in 

uniform have done every single day all across the globe. They 

have built cities in the middle of deserts halfway around 

the world. They’ve built schools in remote villages. They’ve 

repaired complex machinery in combat zones in the 

middle of the night. In short, our troops have taken on 

some of the most challenging projects in some of the most 

inhospitable places under some of the toughest deadlines 

and constraints.”

— First lady Michelle Obama, Feb 10 at the National Symposium 

on Veterans’ Employment in Construction in Washington, D.C.

“The threats facing our country are more decentralized now. 

They’re self-motivated, harder to identify, and we’re looking 

at how we lay down our forces to provide a layered security 

approach as those threats approach our shore.”

— Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp, speaking 

about the future of the military at sea and defense strategy in the 

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Electronics Association West Conference Feb. 13 in San Diego.

QUOTABLES

40:

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13 MILLION: 

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PUÄZJHS

431 MILLION: 

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\ZPUNTPSP[HY`ZWLJPÄJH[PVUQL[M\LS[V

JVTTLYJPHSNYHKLM\LS

Loglines O March - April 2014 35
36 www.dla.mil

rmy Col. Allen Kiefer has a 

philosophical belief about 

his fellow Defense Logistics 

Agency employees.

“Nobody wakes up in the 

morning and says, ‘How can I screw 

up today?’ I think everybody wakes up 

wanting to do the right thing. Sometimes 

they just don’t know what the right thing 

is,” he said.

But that belief doesn’t get in 

the way of Kiefer’s job as the DLA 

Inspector General, in which he 

oversees audits and investigations that 

prevent and detect fraud, waste, theft 

and employee misconduct.

“We’re here to provide the director an 

unbiased, objective and fair evaluation 

of what’s actually happening. Sometimes 

people are afraid we’re out there looking 

for bad things; we’re just looking for the 

facts,” he said.

Kiefer became DLA’s third IG in July 

WZR\HDUVDIWHUWKHDJHQF\¶V2I¿FH

of Inspector General was established. 

With 40 auditors, 24 investigators, 

and 4 investigative analysts located at 

DLA activities around the world, he 

plans to make his organization one that 

employees trust and one that helps 

improve DLA overall.

Among Kiefer’s top priorities is 

shortening the timeline for audits. The 

goal is to complete audits and present 

recommendations to the director so he 

can make decisions and take appropriate 

action within 90 days, Kiefer said.

“Back in the day, audits took a little 

too long, and sometimes the results were 

A

Inspector General

“The IG is a little bit different 

from other investigative and audit 

organizations in that there are certain 

rules we follow to maintain our 

independence and impartiality. And the 

perception of independence, impartiality 

and fairness are cornerstones for the 

IG. If we don’t have that, then nobody 

will talk to us because they’ll be afraid of 

retaliation or some other bad outcome,” 

he said.

While he considers his criminal 

investigators “true professionals” who can 

conduct direct or gruff interviews when 

necessary, Kiefer is working to ensure 

they’re equally adept at administrative 

interviews, which are typically done in a 

more friendly tone.

“I want this to be about helping the 

RUJDQL]DWLRQDQG¿QGLQJWKHIDFWV,W¶VD

kinder, gentler approach that many of my 

criminal investigators haven’t actually 

been trained in,” he said.

Investigators will receive formal 

training this spring from DoD Joint 

Inspector General personnel on how to 

conduct administrative investigations and 

write investigation reports the IG way. 

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good for DLA because it gives leaders the 

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to the attention of the DoD IG or the 

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“I’d rather have my own internal guy 

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than hear it from somebody else or, God 

forbid, hear about it through the media,” 

Kiefer said. 

$QGZKLOH'/$¿HOGDFWLYLW\

overcome by events by the time the report 

was issued,” he said.

7KH,*RI¿FHFRQGXFWVURXWLQH

audits to help the agency achieve audit 

readiness, as well as audits on high-risk 

areas to reduce material costs, operating 

costs and inventory. Audits may also 

be done to ensure the agency is in 

compliance with appropriate standards, 

laws and policies. An audit was recently 

completed on Facility Sustainment, 

Restoration and Modernization Program 

funds used to upgrade DLA facilities in 

(XURSHIRUH[DPSOH

“We found there were a lot of 

procedures that weren’t being followed 

properly, which could have led to 

vulnerabilities for fraud,” Kiefer said. 

37KRVH¿QGLQJVKDYHVLQFHEHHQFRUUHFWHG ́

Following up on the recommendations 

of such audits is another area Kiefer wants 

to improve.

“We’ve got to make sure changes are 

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we don’t have to continue to relearn the 

same thing,” he said.

Story by Beth Reece

DLA’s IG offi ce conducts 

routine audits to help 

the agency achieve audit 

readiness, as well as audits 

on high-risk areas to reduce 

material costs, operating 

costs and inventory. 

THE
Loglines O March - April 2014 37

commanders could appoint their own 

employees to investigate in certain cases, 

these individuals typically wouldn’t know 

rules of evidence, Kiefer continued.

“There are things they may be 

appropriate to investigate, but my folks 

are professional investigators. They know 

how to put together a case, and they 

can effectively communicate with other 

law enforcement organizations to get 

assistance,” he added.

Having internal investigators also 

ensures small offenses that wouldn’t 

ordinarily be pursued by Defense 

Criminal Investigative Services are still 

dealt with. 

“DCIS doesn’t have the resources 

to look at small things. It’s not that it’s 

not important; they only have so many 

investigators and so much time. So 

having our own resources allows us to be 

a deterrent for smaller crimes, because if 

you let the little crimes go, they’ll lead to 

bigger crimes,” he said. 

That Kiefer was originally an Army 

quartermaster makes him an ideal 

candidate for the job of leading DLA’s 

auditors and investigators. 

“My background is helpful because I 

can talk the language with the folks in the 

organization, so when they start talking 

about parts and supplies and things in the 

distribution pipeline, I know what they’re 

talking about,” he said.

Kiefer also brings to DLA his 

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for two secretary of the Army-directed 

reviews, one that occurred in 2009 

following the shooting at Fort Hood, 

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more than 30 injured, and another that 

evaluated behavioral health practices at 

medical centers throughout the Army.

 “Those roles helped prepare me for 

this because they, too, involved a great 

amount of team building,” he said. “This 

job has been more of a challenge than I 

thought it would be, but I still love coming 

to work every day and being the DLA IG. 

We’re doing a lot of things that are going 

to be good for DLA in the long term.” 

Inspector General, prevent and detect fraud, waste, th

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24 investigators, trust, reduce material co

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recommendations, rules, independence, impartial

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General, investigations, prevent and detect fra

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reduce material costs, approriated standard

procedures, vulnerabilities, recommendations, rules, 
I AM

My name is: 

Nanette Tamura

I am:

I am a customer account manager for DLA Document Services.

Describe your job in a sentence:

I serve as a customer service representative for the Pacific region, 

covering Japan, South Korea, Guam, Alaska and Hawaii. I promote DLA 

Document Services’ core capabilities, which include document scanning 

and conversion, electronic content management solutions, office 

document device procurement, and print services. 

How long have you worked for DLA?

I have worked for DLA for 26 1⁄2 years and with DLA Document 

Services for 19 years. I have worked in my current position seven and a 

half years.

What is your favorite thing about working for DLA?

Interfacing with countless different agencies and 

researching and evaluating new concepts and efficiencies as 

agencies strive to go paperless and become audit ready.

What is your best memory of working here?

Seeing the DLA Document Services facility in Pearl Harbor, 

Hawaii, evolve over the years and transition its focus from 

traditional offset printing to digitizing hardcopy documents and 

building solutions to manage the electronic content. 

,ŽǁĚŽLJŽƵŵĂŬĞĂĚŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞƚŽǁĂƌĮŐŚƚĞƌƐ͍

DLA Document Services plays a major role in providing 

warfighters with critical information, on demand, in digital or 

hardcopy format. I look forward to expanding our support as we 

continue to serve them with initiatives such as producing maps 

on demand and providing and maintaining office document 

devices on Navy ships. 

Nanette Tamura