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News | Sept. 20, 2017

Senator Vulakovich visits midstate military installation

By DLA Distribution Public Affairs DLA Distribution Public Affairs

Senator Randy Vulakovich, Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 38th legislative district, visited the midstate on September 18 to sit down with military and civilian leaders of DLA Distribution in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. 

During the visit, Vulakovich, who also serves as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee, discussed the organization and its host installation’s economic impact on the area, as well as its continuing support to those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

DLA Distribution commander Army Brig. Gen. John S. Laskodi led the discussion with Vulakovich, who was joined by Army Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Frank Sullivan, PA Military Community Enhancement Commission, and Nathan Silcox, Executive Director of the Veterans Affairs Committee, on the size and economic impact of DLA Distribution’s host installation, Defense Distribution Center Susquehanna.  The installation, which also hosts DLA Distribution’s largest distribution center, DLA Distribution Susquehanna, employs more than 2,600 employees throughout its 848 acres, 26 buildings and 10.1 million sq. ft. of covered storage in support of the nation’s warfighter.

Laskodi also described how DLA Distribution has been working with U.S. Northern Command and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a supporting role in the overall whole of government disaster response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, saying “Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been working around-the-clock to support [the storms].”

Activating its deployable distribution team, DLA Distribution Expeditionary (DDXX), the organization sent 78 personnel to support ISB Maxwell, Alabama, and ISB Randolph/Seguin, Texas.  On site, the team facilitated Trailer Transfer Operations, Cross-Dock of high priority loads, IT Communications, FEMA Commodity Visibility, Staging Area Management, Security, and Property Accountability. 

In total, DDXX provided critical support to USNORTHCOM and FEMA by loading over 14,800 commercial meals and 11,760 liters of bottled water onto Texas National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol CH-47, UH-60, and UH-1 aircraft at Randolph Auxiliary Airfield in Seguin.  It also assisted in processing over 1,450 trailers of FEMA commodities during Hurricane Harvey at ISB Randolph. 

At Maxwell, the team facilitated the processing of over 950 trailers of FEMA commodities during Hurricane Irma.

Following the discussion, Vulakovich toured the installation’s Eastern Distribution Center, the largest distribution processing facility in DoD, handling 25 percent of DLA Distribution’s total receipt, storage, and issue of materiel worldwide.

Concluding his visit, Vulakovich remarked that he was very impressed, stating that “the average person doesn’t realize what the military person needs to function.”

Photos and video products of DoD response efforts can be found on the DVIDS Hurricane Irma feature page: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/hurricaneirma.