PHILADELPHIA –
The territorial integrity of the United States rests on a basis of homeland defense. It’s the founding mission of the Department of War and is fortified by the logistical engine of Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support. Today, this commitment is demonstrated across the Western Hemisphere Command, the Theatre Army for U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command. With thousands of service members now focused on regional defense, this sweeping initiative projects absolute American strength and deters malign actors through an overwhelming physical presence. By aggressively targeting illicit activities, warfighters, federal law enforcement and DLA Troop Support logisticians are sending an undeniable, unified message: the Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood, and it will never be a permissive environment for transnational threats.
“The speed and magnitude at which we’ve had to project logistical power to the western hemisphere is a testament to the dedication of the DLA Troop Support workforce,” said Christopher Mosher, DLA Troop Support deputy commander. “Our ability to sustain the WHC is the direct result of our buyers, contracting officers and logisticians working tirelessly behind the scenes. They are the engine of this homeland defense mission, ensuring our warfighters have every piece of equipment, every meal and every barrier required to protect our nation.”
Driven by the enduring philosophy of "Warfighter Always," DLA Troop Support serves as the logistical spearhead for the WHC. While the broader Defense Logistics Agency manages a global network, DLA Troop Support specifically directs four of the military’s most critical supply chains: Subsistence, Construction & Equipment, Medical and Clothing & Textiles. Through these channels, the command sources and provides nearly all the consumable items the surging force needs to operate. By leveraging immense purchasing power to buy mission-critical commodities at scale, Troop Support reduces taxpayer costs and delivers rapid, full-spectrum logistics.
“The dedication of the men and women at DLA Troop Support is what keeps this deployment moving,” said Mosher. “Our logistics specialists work to push vital commodities directly to the tactical edge. It is their tireless, behind-the-scenes effort that ensures our troops can sustain operations in some of the most difficult environments in North, Central and South America, along with neighboring waters.”
A massive component of Troop Support’s mission-enhancing contribution flows through the C&E supply chain. In direct support of the Joint Task Force Southern Border, the nine different task force locations and Customs and Border Protection, the C&E team met a demand for concertina wire that tremendously exceeded the normal global average. In January and February of 2025 alone, the barriers team purchased 100,000 rolls of concertina wire, 6,000 rolls of barbed wire and approximately 290,000 metal fence posts. Anticipating the urgent deployment timelines, the C&E workforce strategically staged this massive stockpile at DLA Distribution sites, allowing engineering units and CBP to access materials immediately. The barriers team continues to proactively anticipate secondary defensive needs, procuring material for buoy signage, counter-unmanned aircraft systems, sandbags and expeditionary barrier systems.
“You can’t overstate the agility of our C&E workforce,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Denny Bernacki, C&E director. “When the Joint Task Force needed a record amount of barrier materials to secure the border, our buyers, planners and contracting officers didn't blink. Our team recognized that staging hundreds of thousands of fence posts and wire rolls would eliminate logistical bottlenecks for the engineering units. The professionals in this division are constantly forecasting the next requirement, ensuring that our forces have the physical assets to restore deterrence and prioritize peace through strength.”
Sustaining the warfighter across Western Hemisphere Command requires responsive and adaptive support. The Subsistence supply chain delivers this through multiple contracting solutions, including operational rations and blanket purchase agreements tailored to the region. In Panama, the team recently expanded a Simplified Indefinite Delivery Contract from fresh fruits and vegetables to include bottled water, and they are accelerating a similar fresh produce contract in Honduras.
As the command stands up the Jungle Operations Training Center in Panama, Subsistence is also introducing advanced feeding solutions for harsh environments. DLA Troop Support has recommended the Modular Operational Rations Enhancement Performance Pack to augment standard field rations. Designed for highly strenuous training and missions, this lightweight, shelf-stable pack provides critical pre-event, during-event and post-event nutrition, including hydration and recovery support. Because these specialized items require complex logistical forecasting, the team meticulously navigates a six-month contract award process and a 60-day production timeline to ensure these vital capabilities reach the warfighter.
“Our contracting officers know that delivering responsive and adaptive support is a critical operational requirement when forces are deployed in demanding locations,” U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Griffin, Subsistence director said. “The professionals in the Subsistence division take incredible pride in overcoming regional supply hurdles to deliver high-quality, specialized nourishment directly to the troops.”
Equipping these warfighters to face the specific physical demands of the operation is managed by the C&T supply chain. DLA Troop Support’s C&T division manages a massive volume of gear, providing 8.2 million uniform items across nine Recruit Training Command sites throughout the U.S. annually. They also fulfilled 381 targeted orders for mission-critical expeditionary gear, such as heavy-duty tents for remote staging areas and specialized barbed wire gloves, an essential piece of personal protective equipment for troops handling endless miles of razor-sharp concertina wire.
“You can't ask a service member to handle miles of razor-sharp C-wire without the right protection, and our C&T team made sure they didn't have to,” said Steven Merch, deputy director of C&T. “Instead of relying solely on standard inventories, our personnel adapted instantly to the unique tactical hazards on the ground. That agility guarantees our forces have the customized safeguards required to execute their mission with absolute confidence.”
As the DOW fulfills its founding mission, DLA continues to deliver results with the utmost fiscal integrity, proven by a clean, unmodified audit opinion on its management of strategic funds. Furthermore, as outlined in its Strategic Plan, DLA is transforming its operations to be faster, smarter and more predictive by investing in a Digital Twin for order management, scaling up AI and training its workforce to make sound judgements, decisions and solve problems using data. Through the dedicated efforts of the civilian and military workforce within the Subsistence, C&E, Medical and C&T supply chains, DLA Troop Support ensures the military has the resources to secure the hemisphere and enables law enforcement officers to execute their critical missions with precision.
“At the end of the day, our mission is to guarantee that no service member ever looks over their shoulder and wonders if their logistics train is going to arrive,” Mosher said. “The men and women of DLA Troop Support are always ready, always resilient and always focused on the warfighter, ensuring the DOW has everything it needs to protect the territorial integrity of the United States.”