NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. –
Over 2,000 past and new attendees packed the conference rooms during the 2024 Defense Logistics Agency Energy Worldwide Conference April 22-24.
During the closing networking session, DLA Energy Commander Navy Capt. Brian Anderson thanked attendees and reminded them that the collective mission to energize the warfighter is essential.
“In the end, without fuel none of this works,” he said. “If you can’t move people either on the ground, on the sea, under the sea or in the air, you can’t defend the fight.”
The conference focused on the importance of partnerships across the entire spectrum of the energy supply chain and provided a forum for leaders to engage in dialogue about issues critical to both industry and consumers.
“DLA Energy doesn’t do it by itself. We do it with our partners, allies and friends. It is truly one big village trying to make this happen,” Anderson said.
Aside from the seminar sessions, the tradeshow floor drew large crowds for another opportunity to expand rapport amongst consumers and industry stakeholders.
One tradeshow vendor shared his experience as a first-time attendee.
“We realized this conference is for vendors like us to communicate with contractors and DLA, along with direct contacts within each of the military forums,” he said. “We were also able to debut our product for the military which garnered tons of interest.”
The vendor said he plans to attend again next time.
“I’m always proud to work with DLA and other government agencies in support of the United States and any of its endeavors,” he said. “The conference is fantastic, and we are looking forward to returning with more staff to allow us to gain additional knowledge from the seminars. This is exciting, and we will be back.”
Taunia Sendejar, an Airman with the 149th Fighter Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas, said she attended the conference to learn more about the future of fuels.
“There are lots of new initiatives with fuel products including the EPoS [Electronic Point of Sales], using electricity and things I can’t even wrap my head around for the future,” she said.
She highly recommends the conference to younger airmen and those new to fuel logistics. “It’s a great idea to get them in now because they are our future, and we’re talking about the future,” Sendejar said.
As this year’s 2024 WWEC concludes, conference attendees will depart having built lasting relationships with new initiatives as the energy community prepares for the future.
Make plans now to join us in 2026 for the next WWEC. Check back on the DLA Energy Worldwide Energy Conference webpage for updates and additional information.