COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime senior leaders provided operation strategy and performance updates Feb. 11 during a quarterly town hall held at the Defense Supply Center Columbus.
DLA Land and Maritime Deputy Commander Kenneth Watson opened the program by presenting several quarterly awards.
- Amanda Coughenour, an Integrated Supplier Team chief with Land Supplier Operations, received the DLA Director’s Strategic Goals Award for fiscal 2024 fourth quarter;
- DLA Maritime Supplier Operations Nuclear Enterprise Support Office/Trident Support Team also received the DLA Director’s Strategic Goals Award for fiscal 2024 fourth quarter; and
- Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dale Hydorn, a logistics specialist at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, was awarded DLA Employee of the Quarter for fiscal 2024 fourth quarter.
DLA Land and Maritime Commander Army Brig. Gen. Gail Atkins joined Watson and together, they keyed in on the organization’s Annual Operating Plan and how the four transformative imperatives – people, precision, posture and partnerships – outlined in DLA’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan are guiding the Agency’s way forward.
“As you are all aware, we embarked on a new strategic plan in September that spans FY25-30…and we are grading ourselves on how we are meeting the key objectives,” Atkins said. “We want to give you an overview of the most critical objectives and key results – where we have been in the first quarter and where we are going for the rest of [FY25].”
Watson delved into the first imperative – people – by highlighting workforce readiness efforts through data acumen training, AI capability and joint exercise programs, such as Global Thunder and Elite Constellation, testing critical business processes. He also touched on positive feedback received on recent Saltwater Trips and Warfighter Mission Tours aimed at giving employees a better understanding and connection to the warfighters they support and DLA’s mission.
Watson emphasized the importance of partnerships when discussing provisioning challenges. He said partnerships and strengthening the defense industrial base are key to “getting back to good” on provisioning.
Atkins expounded on precision and posture by weighing in on the volatile global security environment and DLA Land and Maritime’s key role in deterring the nation’s adversaries.
“It is our duty and our obligation to continue to deter our adversaries – ‘not tonight,’” she said. “We do that by providing material to the warfighter to fight….it matters what we do here…and I am seeing excellence all over the place.”
DLA Land and Maritime Director of Operations Chrissy Schall took the stage to provide a performance update, highlighting several successes. This included DLA Land’s critical work with the HMMWV B-Kit, resulting in a significant decrease in overall back orders and DLA Maritime’s elimination of 3,000 lines of backorder on a single item.
“What I need from you…we just keep working it – one piece, one day,” she said. “We talked 21N, we talked 23N [nuclear reactor programs]…we’re talking about big, long-term contracts in the [Strategic Acquisition Programs Directorate] world…and the work we’re doing with the Army to keep their lines running. We’re fixing these things one piece at a time, one weapon system at a time…and that’s how we get back.”
Schall expressed her confidence in more successes to celebrate at the next town hall in the spring.