FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
A new, first-of-its-kind agreement between the Defense Logistics Agency and the United Kingdom Defense Support is expected to strengthen risk management and resilience in supply and logistics for the United States, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The agreement establishes terms for the Logistics and Supply Chain Working Group and was signed Feb. 1 by Navy Vice Adm. Andy Kyte, the U.K.’s chief of defense logistics and support, and DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Michelle Skubic.
“This represents a massively public statement of trust, a statement of shared vision and endeavor, of two close allies and partners who are prepared to work together,” Kyte said. “Things like this really do matter because the world is a dangerous and volatile place.”
The group will establish an architecture for working multiple lines of effort, and members are expected to collaborate on topics such as the sourcing and sustainment of supplies like food and repair parts for major weapons systems, as well as storage, distribution, and property disposal. They will also explore opportunities for sharing data to facilitate a common operating picture for logistics.
The agreement supports DOD’s push for integrated deterrence, a National Defense Strategy goal that involves the U.S. building partners with American allies to deter aggression from threats like China and Russia while deepening regional security. In September 2021, leaders of Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. created AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. Part of the effort includes developing and fielding joint advanced military capabilities to promote security and stability.
“With the nature of war, the more complex weapons systems, the assured disaggregated operations, and the almost certain contested logistics environment that we’re facing, we need teams like ours to work together in concert, growing together,” Skubic said.
Kyte noted that the U.S. and U.K. are already standing shoulder to shoulder to confront threats such as those in the Red Sea. There are plenty of adversaries lining up to threaten safety, security and prosperity, he said.
“I passionately believe that the only way we will deter those threats and those adversaries is through partnerships,” he added. “And I don’t think there’s anything more central to the delivery of deterrence, operational power and effectiveness than logistics.”
DLA Logistics Operations Director Navy Rear Adm. Doug Noble said the international agreement, which is non-binding, is a significant step toward the future success of the U.S. and U.K.
“The initial steps of establishing the framework and getting the team together to figure out how we might get after this has already begun to yield fruit in terms of teasing out ideas and exposing opportunities for collaboration as logisticians,” he said.
The agreement also sets a foundation for tabletop exercises that may help the group determine potential vulnerabilities and build interoperability, added Force Col. Joshua Persing, a DLA national account manager for the Air Force who helped coordinate the effort. Officer exchange programs are also possible.