FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
The Defense Logistics Agency director addressed the current era of change during a Global Town Hall at the McNamara Headquarters Complex May 14.
“Overall, DLA’s transformation efforts align with the Secretary of Defense’s priorities by reinforcing warfighter readiness, modernizing logistics capabilities and ensuring the military remains prepared to deter and defeat adversaries,” DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said. “The DLA Strategic Plan is fully nested within the secretary of defense’s three priorities - reviving warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and reestablishing deterrence.”
With several elements of the DLA Strategic Plan aligning with the secretary’s priorities, Simerly reminded the audience that logistics is contested at all domains and levels of war. This extends from the tactical edge to the strategic and even homeland levels.
“As the Nation’s Logistics Combat Support Agency, DLA has a unique responsibility to stay relevant to the military services. We must meet the transformational needs of the services but also anticipate what they're going to need to get ahead of requirements,” he said. “We must set conditions and perform the things we know in a smarter, faster, better-protected and connected way, across everything that we do.”
Simerly acknowledged new national and Defense Department leadership has accelerated the pace of change by asking agencies, including DLA, to review how they do business and consider what could be done differently.
“Fortunately, we were already in that space. We were already reviewing every task that we have, validating it,” he said. “So we're already on that path, and it’s really nested in what the department is doing.”
DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn said DOD is undergoing a top-to-bottom review to optimize and reform the federal workforce. The aim is to consolidate functions, flatten hierarchies and lean-out supervisor ratios to empower employees with the tools, technology and oversight needed to execute the mission.
It is not about savings and reducing the defense budget, but about reallocating and reprioritizing resources where they are needed the most, Bunn said. He echoed Simerly’s message that DLA’s efforts are well aligned with DOD transformation priorities.
“We're always in this era of self-examination to see where we can get better, where we can do better, not just from a resourcing standpoint, but from a mission execution standpoint,” he said. “So we're in the midst right now.”
Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Alvin Dyer, DLA’s senior enlisted leader, challenged employees to think through changes that need to be made.
“Change is here, and we're built for this. We must embrace new ways of working, modernized processes and innovative solutions to strengthen DLA’s mission,” he said. “Change is an opportunity. Let’s embrace transformation and prove that DLA’s legacy of excellence will carry us forward.”
Despite being in a period of change, Simerly added, several key things will remain unchanged.
“My key message to you is, there's a lot more that's not changing about this agency, he said, stressing the importance of the DLA mission, a focus on taking care of DLA team members and the importance of high expectations for DLA efforts.
“The importance of the things that we do for the department is enduring,” he said.
The director also reiterated the importance he places on the values of trust, discipline and commitment.
“These qualities and your individual actions and the way you interact with your teams are more important than ever,” he said.
Retention and recruitment
DLA senior leaders answered video and live questions from the agency’s employees at over 75 locations globally. One question related to DLA’s retention and recruitment efforts after 1500 employees left the agency from retirement or voluntary separations. Simerly said he is unsure when the hiring freeze will be lifted, but the agency has been able to achieve exceptions to fill critical positions at specific locations.
“Some things are still in place to recognize excellence, like our very robust performance management system, which includes cash rewards,” Simerly said. “We are able to reward those who are taking on new roles or greater responsibility and performing at a higher level, with things like promotions to cement and advance career progression as appropriate.”
Another question asked about a reduction in force, delayed resignations, voluntary early retirements or voluntary separation incentive programs in the future.
“We are focused on examining tasks that relate to our core wartime mission, considering transferring tasks to the services and potentially receiving new tasks from the department. We’ll make decisions about the people behind those as we go through the planning process,” Simerly said. “If we must reduce to a certain number, we expect to transfer folks into new roles over time, in a way that is least disruptive as possible.”
DLA still has access to all the workforce-shaping tools used successfully over the decades to avoid adverse actions in the workforce. The agency has a great track record of avoiding those RIF-type actions in large numbers and believes that track record will continue, Bunn said.
“There is a pretty good chance there would be some disruption across the enterprise as decisions are made about potential changes to our budget and organizational structure, but the goal is to preserve people’s employment as we continue our core mission, which is supporting the warfighter,” he said.
Responding to a question about the wage-grade employee annual rate adjustment, Simerly said he doesn’t quite know when it's going to be solved, but when the solution comes and the wage-grade increases are approved, it will be retroactive.
Employee recognition
Simerly acknowledged individuals and teams who earned recognition outside the agency for their accomplishments:
Individual awards:
- Todd McDowell – U.S. Africa Command – General Langley Inter-Agency Partner of the Year
- Defense Media Activity
- Nicholas Pilch – Civilian Photographer of the Year
- Nancy Benecki – 1st Place, Best Commentary
- Nutan Chada – 1st Place, Best Video Story
- Jake Joy – 2nd Place, Best Picture Story
Team and Unit Awards:
- Society of Defense Financial Managers – J8 Transaction Fund Audit
- DLA Distribution Firefighters recognized for service by Pennsylvania Governor
Simerly closed the town hall by announcing the relaunch of Loglines Magazine.
View a captioned video of the town hall above or view the recording on DVIDS.