Air Force, DLA discuss mutual challenges, opportunities

Defense Logistics Agency and Air Force leaders met to discuss how they could grow their partnership and improve mutual support during Air Force/DLA Day, Nov. 9 at the McNamara Headquarters Complex, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Army Lt. Gen Darrell Williams, the director of DLA, welcomed distinguished guests from across the DLA enterprise as well as Air Force leaders. Williams said some of the discussion areas, though challenging, continue to show improvement with each service day.

Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, delivered opening comments via video teleconference. She noted this was her third Air Force/DLA day and agreed with Williams that each one was better than the last. She further noted the timing of this particular meeting was a great follow-on for the F-35 Summit late last month.

“I see this as ‘Part II’ of … [DLA’s] participation in our F-35 Summit. I appreciate that,” she said. “I think what I got from that Part I was how critically important it is that our organizations work together on issues.”

Pawlikowski also talked about both organizations’ multi-domain operations.

“In the logistics community, DLA and the Air Force have to seamlessly operate across all of our enterprise. I think some of the discussion that’s in the charts today helps to highlight that and puts the focus in the right areas,” she said. “I’m very excited about … how you’re going to be able to help us with the F-35 challenge and the opportunities to make that more affordable for the Air Force.”

Discussion topics included F-35 sustainment; support to the Air Force nuclear enterprise; the Air Force weapons system support program; managing the risk of counterfeit parts in the supply chain; Disposition Services network optimization; suspended stock; and major subordinate command updates.