FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
Defense Logistics Agency leaders toured DLA and military service sites in Hawaii and Guam while meeting with senior leaders from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and its service components Jan. 9-12.
Kristin French, deputy director of DLA Logistics Operations, and Shawn Lennon, deputy director of DLA Finance, got an in-depth look at the evolving footprint of U.S. forces across the INDOPACOM area of responsibility during the trip, which focused on warfighter requirements.
“As INDOPACOM sets the theater to be ready for potential contingencies, it’s critical that DLA understands what our warfighters need and, more importantly, where it’s needed,” French said. “Seeing is believing; just being on Guam, walking the terrain, and understanding the challenges of getting from one side of the island to another can help DLA understand how to best support our service partners there.”
Guam has had several recent changes in logistics support, including a new 70,000-foot subsistence prime vendor warehouse on the island and a new 23.2-mile pipeline that carries fuel from Naval Base Guam to Andersen Air Force Base.
DLA Indo-Pacific serves as the agency’s customer-facing presence throughout the region. The Hawaii portion of the trip focused on meeting DLA team members on Oahu, seeing their facilities, and interfacing with INDOPACOM logisticians including Army Brig. Gen. Gavin Gardner, the combatant command’s director of logistics and engineering.
INDOPACOM’s Set the Theater initiative addresses tasks required to ensure warfighters there would be sustained in the event of combat operations. As plans evolve and requirements change, components’ budget strategies must also evolve, Lennon said.
“Warfighter requirements directly impact how and where DLA invests its budgetary resources,” he added. “Readiness is critical, and we have to get this right, but it’s just as important that we remain exceptional stewards of DOD resources.”
French said meeting with combatant command and service component leaders helps build understanding and relationships that could be essential in any potential contingency.
“The better we know our warfighter customers and understand their needs, the more prepared DLA will be to support them in a worst-case scenario,” she said. “When a crisis happens, you have to be ready and know what right looks like.”