NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
DLA Distribution Commanding Officer, Navy Rear Adm. Kevin M. Jones, held a town hall with employees at DLA Distribution Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania May 29.
Jones talked about his focus and the way ahead for DLA Distribution and how important Tobyhanna is to the organization and their past success.
“This is the team that performed at the highest level the first year we conducted the audit,” said Jones. “It’s so critical to our mission.”
Making an analogy to a bank, he rhetorically asked, “If you put your money in a bank and the bank came to you one day and said ‘sorry we don’t know where $200 of your dollars went; how long would you keep your money in that bank?”
Jones emphasized the importance of them to continue to perform at a high level as far as auditability but he also emphasized the importance of the mission they do every day.
“Right now there is a young warrior going outside the wire in Afghanistan and they are using a piece of equipment that you provided him,” said Jones. “What you do is so important because if we can’t get it right it could mean he doesn’t come home.”
Jones complemented the leadership and workers for what they do and credited it to a culture that fosters respect and a true commitment to how important their mission is.
“Culture is critical to success; if that is solid there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished,” said Jones.
Jones went on to talk about the future and how Tobyhanna will play a critical role in modernization.
“We looked at DLA Distribution and asked ourselves, how will we evolve, because, if you don’t evolve you devolve,” said Jones. “We looked at all 24 distribution locations around the world and said we have to modernize but we can’t do everything all at once. We had to pick certain places that we believed were critical to modernization; Tobyhanna was among those at the top of the list.”
Jones concluded by thanking the workforce and leadership for everything they do and noted they were a strategic asset that was key to mission success and will continue to be in the future.