NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Defense Logistics Agency Distribution hosted student and faculty members of the U.S. Army War College during their visit to the headquarters May 5.
From the command brief presentation given by DLA Distribution’s Deputy Director of Modernization, Plans, & Training, Matt Williams, students learned that DLA distribution is more than just storage and distribution – the organization provides a vast array of operational support to include made-to-order kitting, medical assembly and shelter repair, rail and heavy vehicle operations, track preservation, expeditionary support and Navy shipyard support.
“One of the things that the Theater Sustainment Elective portion of studies at the Army War College is trying to do is give the students an idea of how large the sustainment enterprise is and how DLA Distribution is a big piece of this, that we just aren’t aware of in the services,” said Professor of Theater Sustainment Rob Gomez.
“The visit here is so critical and so important that I make it a point to bring students here to see what DLA Distribution does in support of the force."
The group was also given a tour of the Eastern Distribution Center, led by DLA Distribution Susquehanna’s Deputy Division Chief Danielle Oehm. After a brief on how to safely navigate the walking tour of the warehouse, the group was taken to various points in the center where Oehm discussed the many modernization efforts underway.
Army Col. Joel Gleason, a logistician for 23 years, has been to a lot of warehouses during his Army career. “I’ve been on factory tours, industry tours and seen other modernization efforts, and the ones I’ve seen here today are probably more impressive than any others I’ve seen. But it makes sense, we’re always trying to improve and, as warfighters, we need to know how the industrial base supports us.”