FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
Editor’s Note: This is one of six stories featuring 2023 DLA Hall of Fame inductees. An induction ceremony will be held 2 p.m. May 18 at the McNamara Headquarters Complex auditorium at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The ceremony is open to all DLA employees; invitations are not needed.
A solution-oriented attitude defines why Kay Bushman is a member of the 2023 Defense Logistics Agency Hall of Fame.
Bushman’s 31-year legal career with DLA Energy culminated with her role as senior counsel for the organization. Her “let’s figure out how we can do this” approach to problem solving influenced her colleagues and work with DLA Energy, according to her nomination package.
She applied that mindset in 2010 when instability in Kyrgyzstan threatened mission failure at the Manas Transit Center, the major air refueling hub for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. With less than 24 hours’ notice, Bushman was one of three DLA Energy employees who joined a team of Defense Department and embassy officials who flew to Kyrgyzstan to reach an agreement.
Bushman masterfully negotiated with the nation’s new government, according to the nomination.
“Her fuel acquisition background and technical expertise were invaluable,” the nomination package noted. “Thanks to Ms. Bushman’s sound judgment and knowledge of the intricacies of international law, the negotiations were successful. The DLA Energy contractor was allowed unimpeded access to the fuel they had stored throughout the country and could deliver it to the transit center, thus avoiding mission failure.”
Support to long-term contracting, bulk fuel storage contracts, and legislative proposals to amend laws authorizing long-term fuel storage contracts were central to Bushman’s contributions to DLA Energy.
Bushman was also involved in alternative fuels. She advised senior leaders and the acquisition workforce on the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and issues related to alternative energy, including synthetic fuels. Later, Bushman was part of a team that supported the Navy’s Farm-to-Fleet initiative allowing DOD to purchase biofuels at the same cost as conventional bulk fuel.