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News | Nov. 20, 2017

DLA Aviation Army officer leads intra-theater distribution initiative in Iraq for CDDOC

By DLA Aviation Public Affairs Office

A Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Army officer has been selected to lead an intra-theater distribution initiative by U.S. Central Command’s Deployment and Distribution Operations Center in Iraq Oct. 26 – 31, to  provide better aerial distribution support at the tactical level support for our warfighters serving on Iraq’s frontlines. 

Army Maj. Alex Shimabukuro, a Defense Logistics Agency Aviation operations officer in the Army Customer Facing Division, Customer Operations Directorate, is deployed supporting Operation Inherent Resolve with the CDDOC in Kuwait. Shimabukuro recently visited Camp Taji, Iraq.

Shimabukuro was embedded with the 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion out of Fort Lee, Virginia, and met with various key battalion leaders to gain insights on sustainment operations and challenges throughout their areas of responsibility. He also visited the postal team at Camp Taji and received an overview on postal operations from Army Staff Sgt. Glenda Hernandez, the noncommissioned officer in charge for postal operations from the 387th Postal Platoon out of Missouri.  

Shimabukuro said the logistics of maneuvering was the first challenge. He closely coordinated multiple arrangements with a variety of military organizations for life support, work space and transportation

Shimabukuro spent an entire day at the supply support activity, or SSA, with Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Alexander Rodriguez, SSA accountability officer with the 574 Composite Supply Company, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and the nineteen contractors who conduct daily SSA operations at Camp Taji’s, Iraq. During his week-long site visit at Camp Taji, Shimabukuro observed all current distribution processes as related to current military operations in theater. 

“In comparison to previous deployments, visiting Camp Taji and seeing distribution processes in Iraq was eye opening,” said Shimabukuro.

“It is extremely rewarding to understand DLA’s role in multi-class support to the SSA and to have CDDOC seek ways to optimize distribution processes,” said Rodriguez.

Shimabukuro will continue to visit other U.S. military bases in Iraq to gain similar insights on distribution processes.