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DLA News Archive

News | May 1, 2023

DLA Distribution modernization driven by data and warfighter support

By Matthew Mahoney DLA Distribution

Adarryl Roberts, Defense Logistics Agency acting deputy chief information officer, met with DLA Distribution leadership April 6 to brainstorm ways the agency can use technology and information tools to enhance modernization efforts in support of the warfighter.

“There’s a certain infrastructure cost just to execute,” said Roberts, relating to the necessity of fiscal responsibility as a due diligence to the taxpayer.

As part of that responsibility, DLA Distribution is leveraging data on current sustainment operations to determine where modernization efforts are best deployed.

Contrary to intuitive thought, pulling active material back to a location where modernized efforts are in place is more effective for the timely delivery to the warfighter. It also can contribute to an effective 35% in savings to DLA Distribution customers.

“We have been using the data to show DLA Distribution capabilities in contested logistics,” said Perry Knight, DLA Distribution deputy commander.

The need for technological support to these efforts all comes down to making it as simple and seamless as possible for the warfighter. To meet the mission of “warfighter always,” the interface and ability to track material from the time of order to arrival must be clear and simple … which is where Roberts and his team come in.

As part of DLA, they are uniquely poised to build the necessary tools while maintaining a close understanding of the overall DLA mission as it relates to warfighter support, fiscal responsibility and legal compliance.

Modernization improvements already in place such as voice pick technology and wearables have greatly enhanced DLA Distribution efforts, and they have been met with praise from the workforce.

The goal of any technological enhancement effort is to make sure it is intuitive and used by employees and customers. DLA Distribution provides a wide array of options to train employees on the state-of-the-art equipment.