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News | July 18, 2019

Strategy set to strengthen supply-chain security

By Dianne Ryder DLA Public Affairs

The Defense Logistics Agency has a new roadmap for addressing supply-chain security issues like counterfeit parts and the compromise of Commercial and Government Entity codes.

Air Force Col. Scott Ritzel, executive director of DLA’s Nuclear Enterprise Support Office, and 20 subject matter experts from throughout the agency wrote the comprehensive strategy, which highlights the importance of DLA’s global supply chain, its security architecture, strategic focus areas, and how DLA leverages innovation, data management, technology and cybersecurity.

Addressing supply-chain threats typically involves numerous DLA organizations, Ritzel said. The new strategy outlines an all-inclusive path forward for identifying, prioritizing and mitigating risks and existing threats.

“We operate a global supply chain that’s vulnerable to various threats, whether it be cyber or nefarious actors who are intentionally trying to either disrupt supply chains or present themselves as legitimate vendors,” he said. “Without a strategy, we don’t have a focused effort to protect the global supply chain.”

The plan is outlined on DLA’s Supply Chain Security Strategy webpage, which includes a message from DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Darrell Williams and related articles.

DLA has an “inherent imperative” to ensure detection and protection measures are built into agency systems, processes and infrastructure, Williams wrote, adding that the strategy provides an avenue for the agency to strengthen operational resiliency.

“It anchors to the fundamental elements of supply-chain risk management and mission assurance,” he wrote. “I need every DLA member to understand this strategy and to support it wherever you may fit in, because supply-chain disruption is not an option for the warfighter.”