Defense logistics agency issue - KMI Media Group
Defense logistics agency issue - KMI Media Group
Defense logistics agency issue - KMI Media Group
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A: Our mantra is “Warfighter Support.” We have three major pillars<br />
that we base our core competencies on: warfighter support,<br />
stewardship excellence and workforce development. Number one<br />
among those is support to the warfighter customer; whether in<br />
Afghanistan or at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, it is our primary<br />
concern.<br />
I mentioned how we face the depots and accomplish demand<br />
planning with our supply centers. From a DLA perspective though,<br />
there’s another facet of that, and that is the direct interface. DLA<br />
is a global <strong>agency</strong> with four regional organizations positioned to<br />
liaison with our combatant commands at the geographic combatant<br />
commands—PACOM, Europe and Africa Command, Central<br />
Command, North and South Command, so we’re attuned to the<br />
big picture the geographic combatant commander has.<br />
Let’s look at PACOM and focus one level down. The Pacific<br />
Command is headquartered in Hawaii, but the Army, Navy and Air<br />
Force components are also there, so we positioned a DLA regional<br />
commander there [at the 06 level] who has the responsibility<br />
to touch all those organizations, through that combatant commander.<br />
This way we maintain that customer focus. It’s not just looking<br />
at what the maintenance production requirement is inside of<br />
the service’s industrial site at a depot or a Navy shipyard or air<br />
<strong>logistics</strong> center; it’s also being attuned to the requirements of a<br />
combatant commander as they prepare for their operational plans,<br />
or for humanitarian assistance or disaster relief.<br />
Q: Is there anything you’d like to add about your customer outreach<br />
programs, or the formalized or informal things you do to<br />
keep in touch with customers?<br />
A: DLA does many important things. We provide $40 billion<br />
annually in supplies to the services. It’s important we get that<br />
right and know what ‘right’ looks like in our planning, purchasing<br />
and acquisition lead times when we’re getting those<br />
supplies.<br />
But I think DLA does something even more important. We<br />
build trust and confidence with our warfighter customer. That<br />
warfighter support is the first leg of our core competency. Stewardship<br />
excellence and workforce development will follow if we<br />
get the warfighter support right. I really just want to emphasize<br />
that DLA is America’s combat <strong>logistics</strong> support <strong>agency</strong>. We’re<br />
more than a supplier; we serve the total life cycle of an item of<br />
equipment, beginning with the customer-facing element of our<br />
supply centers, through storage and distribution support, to<br />
ultimate disposition services. Today, units are turning in items<br />
to a disposition yard in Kandahar, Afghanistan, so they can be<br />
released from their mission and go back to home station or<br />
prepare for the next contingency. The planning for that has to be<br />
done now—not only from the preparedness and readiness point<br />
of view, but how to do this most effectively. In this austere budget<br />
time, we must get our warfighter customer’s requirement<br />
exactly right. O<br />
Your ONLY opportunity to interface with representatives from the entire DoD maintenance community—<br />
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2012 Department of <strong>Defense</strong><br />
Maintenance Symposium & Exhibition<br />
November 13-16, 2012 • DeVos Place Convention Center • Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA<br />
www.sae.org/dod<br />
View a video!<br />
Administered by<br />
for the U.S. Department of <strong>Defense</strong><br />
P121077<br />
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