TRACY, Calif. –
Defense Logistics Agency Distribution San Joaquin, California, hosted a visit from Emily Vogeler, Executive Director, Logistics Policy and Programs, DLA Logistics Operations, February 19-20.
Joining Vogeler during her trip to San Joaquin was Michael Johnson, Disposal Management Chief, DLA Logistics Operations, Steven Sturgeon, Technical and Quality Assurance Chief, DLA Logistics Operations, and U.S. Army Col. Woodward Caldwell, Deputy Director, DLA Disposition Services.
Vogeler’s visit to DLA San Joaquin, California, was focused on potential policy improvements ahead of the installation’s scheduled transition to the Warehouse Management System in early April. During the two-day visit, Vogeler toured the various facilities to learn more about San Joaquin’s different missions, including some that are unique to the site.
Much of the visit was spent in the Disposition Services warehouse, where David Williams, Area Manager, DLA San Joaquin Disposition Services, explained to Vogeler how certain materials come to be sent to his warehouse, and how his team is able to determine whether some items need to be disposed of or if they can be redistributed to a different customer. Williams also addressed some of the hurdles his team must overcome when figuring out the serviceability of the items.
Vogeler also toured the Unitized Group Rations facility, the only one within DLA, where she saw firsthand how various food and cooking components are received and stored in bulk, and how the items are then separated and pieced together in meal kits which are distributed to DLA customers worldwide.
The visitors were also led on a tour through the F-35 North American Regional Warehouse, also a DLA mission unique to San Joaquin, where they were able to get an idea of how the distribution process workers there receive, store, pack and ship the parts and equipment required to keep the F-35 Lightning II fighter jets mission-ready for America's Armed Forces and partner nations across the globe. Also discussed were the mission’s current capabilities, recent improvements made to accommodate changing requirements including temperature-controlled storage areas, and the unique hurdles the team must often overcome when receiving the materiel, storing it, and then getting it into the hands of the warfighters who need it.
Other stops on the tour included the “Not Ready For Issue” warehouse, where some materiel, for a variety of reason, can languish on shelves for years until they are able to be distributed or disposed of, the Consolidation and Containerization Point warehouse, which is one of only two such facilities in DLA and a major point of embarkation for cargo destined for the United States Indo-Pacific Command theater of operations, and the Hazardous and Secure Storage mission warehouse, which serves as DLA’s Hazardous Material Center of Excellence.