RICHMOND, Va. –
Defense Logistics Agency Weapons Support (Richmond) employees gathered in person and online Oct. 9 as Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, DLA director; Army Command Sgt. Maj. Petra Casarez, DLA senior enlisted leader; and Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Launey, DLA Weapons Support (Richmond) commander, led a town hall focused on transformation, readiness and recognition of workforce excellence.
The event underscored how the Richmond-headquartered team continues to strengthen warfighter support by aligning people, precision, posture and partnerships with DLA’s strategic goals for fiscal year 2026.
“We’re not waiting for anyone to tell us what we have to be in the future, we’re determining that ourselves so we’re ready when it comes to support the fight,” Simerly said.
After opening remarks and a short mission video, Simerly presented DLA Director coins to three employees for outstanding performance.
- Won-Hyuk Hong, senior cost and price analyst, Procurement Process Support, was honored for designing a dynamic pricing dashboard delivering real-time insights into pricing trends, crucial for agile decision-making.
- Christy Pratt, a supervisory contract specialist at DLA Weapons Support (Richmond), received recognition for process improvements with Collins Aerospace that cut purchase requests awaiting award by more than 50 percent in a year.
- Stephen Adams, sustainment specialist at Cherry Point, N.C., was cited for developing material support plans aligned with DLA’s transformation imperatives. His actions averted a potential C-130 supply-chain disruption. The coin was accepted on Adams’ behalf by Launey.
“Your contributions directly improve readiness and reflect what makes this team exceptional,” Simerly said.
Simerly highlighted several milestones achieved from the past fiscal year that demonstrate Richmond’s leadership in logistics innovation:
- Talent acquisition and retention: The Weapons Support (Richmond) team executed 14 recruitment events, leading to more than 2,000 contacts made.
- F-35 support: On track to begin supporting approximately 350 National Stock Numbers as of Oct. 1.
- Data literacy: Achieved 98 percent data-literacy training ahead of schedule.
- Delinquency reduction: Reduced contract delinquency by more than 20 percent, exceeding the annual objective.
- Strategic partnerships: Integrated two major OEMs into Pacific Sentry 25-2, paving the way for expanded Tier 1 exercise participation in fiscal year 2026.
The DLA director reiterated a leadership framework grounded in trust, discipline and commitment, as outlined in the town hall’s “Expectations of All” slide.
“The importance of our mission isn’t changing,” Simerly said. “We have a profound responsibility to our warfighters and to each other.”
Casarez added that the agency’s strength comes from “the expertise and partnership each teammate brings every single day,” reinforcing that transformation depends on workforce collaboration.
Simerly detailed DLA’s fiscal year 2026 Annual Guidance, which centers on three objectives: Set the Globe, Set the Agency and Set Supply Chains.
“Transformation starts with our people, is driven by precision in execution, requires strategic posture across the globe, and is sustained through strong partnerships,” he said.
He described ongoing efforts to modernize supply-chain processes, expand artificial-intelligence integration, and reinforce DLA’s role as the nation’s logistics combat support agency.
Addressing DLA’s structural changes, Simerly emphasized that the agency is forging a new MSC with DLA Weapons Support – a unified, Class IX-focused command drawing on the strengths and expertise of the teams in both Richmond and Columbus to enhance warfighter support from a globally postured command operating out of two primary locations.
“We need everyone on the team,” Simerly said. “We still need the aviation expertise that we have in this team. We still need the land and the maritime expertise that we have in Columbus. We’re not choosing between Richmond and Columbus. We need both.”
Casarez echoed that each site’s distributed expertise “will remain continuously important as we go forward,” underscoring that geography would not limit collaboration.
A question-and-answer session covered concerns about supply-chain risk, staffing and the ongoing government shutdown.
When asked about raw-material shortages, Simerly explained that DLA is expanding its Warstopper and National Strategic Stockpile programs to secure critical materials, noting one avenue the agency is pursuing is reclamation – harvesting commodities like titanium or germanium from old weapons systems and returning the materials to the production lines.
Regarding the current hiring limitations, Simerly acknowledged the challenge but noted deliberate resource planning.
“We have to continue attracting and retaining talent even under constraints,” he said. “It requires us to be strategic and deliberate.”
On the government-shutdown outlook, Simerly said DLA’s Working Capital Fund has helped sustain operations.
“Weapon systems don’t shut down,” Simerly said. “We have to plan for uncertainty and preserve the mission for as long as we can.”
Since there are a lot of unknowns due to the shutdown, Casarez urged employees to have open communication with their leaders and headquarters to help assuage concerns.
“So, we’re just waiting and monitoring, and, if you have any concerns, anything particular at all, you know, make sure you let us know, because things don’t get better with time,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s good to just get your questions and thoughts out there so that way we can ensure that we can answer them.”
Simerly closed by recognizing DLA’s 64-year history and its enduring purpose.
“We’re built to support combat and that’s the only reason we exist,” he said. “Thank you for your dedication to excellence and to each other.”