BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Army Col. Woodward (Woodje) Caldwell recently transferred from agency headquarters to become DLA Disposition Services deputy director.
How has your assignment to DLA compared with the rest of your Army career? Has agency life been unique in any ways?
I have been a logistician for almost 23 years of my career, but it has been mostly at the tactical level. Seeing the strategic level of logistics and the associated challenges has been extremely eye-opening, almost like pulling back the curtain.
Agency life is good, it’s unique in that the vast majority of the organization is civilian. That is a very different environment from the organizations that I have previously served in. It’s a great learning opportunity for me because I get to see different ways of management and how we solve complex problems.
What was your day-to-day role in DLA prior to coming to DLA Disposition Services? What brought you to the MSC?
I was the military deputy for J345, Inventory Management Division, in the DLA HQ J34 prior to coming to Disposition Services. I initially came to serve as the interim deputy director to cover a gap until the incoming deputy arrived. The director asked if I would like to stay and worked his magic to engineer a trade that brought me and my family here while the incoming deputy replaced me at DLA HQ.
How has your understanding of the MSC and its mission evolved since you began serving as the deputy director?
I learn every day; most people outside of Disposition Services don’t understand the intricacies of our daily mission. Our organization is so unique, people think we are just the organization that you turn property in to, but Disposition Services encompasses so much more than that.
Has anything about DLA Disposition Services surprised you since joining it?
I don’t know if surprised is the right word, but I’m continually impressed with the workforce. Their willingness to go above and beyond to support our customers every day all over the world just puts a smile on my face and makes me very grateful to be the deputy.
From a soldier’s perspective, how would you describe DLA Disposition Services’ reputation among Army logisticians?
Disposition Services has a sterling reputation as “the” place to go to get rid of your equipment! Where I think Disposition Services can improve is educating our customers at the tactical level that we are a valuable source of supply.
As deputy, what are your primary day-to-day focuses? What responsibilities or efforts take up the most bandwidth?
My primary duties revolve around Operations, the Joint Reserve Force and anything that the director needs me to do. My days are very full, I enjoy my job because every day is different and you never know what challenge the day holds.
How do you hope to see DLA Disposition Services continue to evolve during your tenure as deputy?
I hope that we continue to improve organizationally to increase warfighter readiness. We are in the midst of a lot of different initiatives that will make it easier for our customers to turn in their property and also develop ways that identify property we receive that can be used to fill backorders on non-mission capable platforms/vehicles throughout the services. We are a customer service organization and everything that we do to improve our operations provides value to the services.
Any thoughts on Battle Creek, the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center and being stationed in Michigan? How does it compare to other duty stations?
I really enjoyed the entire experience of being in Michigan while I was the interim deputy. I didn’t exactly know what to expect as, honestly, living in Michigan had never been on my radar. My wife was exceptionally impressed during her visit here in July, and it really sealed our willingness to move from Alexandria. We always try to really experience where we get to live and are very excited to continue to learn about Michigan.
Being from a small town in North Carolina, living in Battle Creek was like being at home, it has everything that you need. I really enjoyed running the North Country Trail that goes through town and along the river, it was the perfect place to do my long runs on the weekends.
Working in the HDFIC is not without its challenges. I haven’t yet gotten stuck in an elevator, but seeing it against the sky as I drive to work never seems to get old. Nor does all the history that is in our building. I think sometimes we don’t sit back and think about the people and events that preceded us here. It’s really cool.
The biggest difference between Battle Creek and everywhere that I have been stationed is the absence of most of the services that you typically associate with a duty station, like commissary and medical treatment facilities. In a lot of ways, it is very nice, because you aren’t completely immersed in military 24/7.
Caldwell's bio can be found here.