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News | March 11, 2016

Army, DLA officials plan way ahead for equipment reductions, sustained readiness

By Beth Reece

Defense Logistics Agency leaders outlined how the agency will continue assisting the Army as it removes more than 2 million pieces of equipment from its inventory, during an Army/DLA Day event at the Pentagon March 8.

In keeping with DLA’s commitment to warfighter support, DLA Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Andy Busch assured Army officials that the agency’s logistics planners are partnering with the Army Materiel Command and participating in Unit Equipping and Reuse Working Groups at numerous installations to expedite equipment turn-ins and help preserve critical resources.

DLA Disposition Services will provide training to help Soldiers prepare equipment for turn-in and is looking for ways to reduce paperwork required during the turn-in process. Placing additional DLA employees at customers’ locations will also decrease the amount of time it takes units to be relieved of property, said DLA Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon.

The Army will remain engaged in missions around the world despite equipment and budget reductions, added Army Lt. Gen. Gustave Perna, the service’s deputy chief of staff for logistics. To remain effective, Army and DLA officials will have to work together to find smarter ways to get things done, he continued. For example, DLA can help sustain the Army’s high readiness level by proactively managing critical repair parts for the Army’s combat weapons systems, including the Bradley fighting vehicle and Black Hawk helicopter.

DLA can also help the Army save money in storage and distribution costs by helping Army depots collaborate with commercial facilities, said Joe Farris, director of business development for DLA Distribution. That effort could also lead to shortened delivery times, streamlined deliveries to maintenance facilities and a common audit-readiness solution for government-owned inventory.

Other topics included the Djibouti Forward Stocking Initiative and improving logistics networks across the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant.