COLUMBUS, Ohio –
With a clear focus on strengthening the defense industrial base, the Defense Logistics Agency, in conjunction with the National Defense Industrial Association, concluded its annual Supply Chain Alliance Symposium and Exhibition June 3, bringing the two-day event at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to a close.
Building on the shared dialogue of day one, the event’s final day shifted the focus from defining challenges to forging actionable solutions. The symposium, themed “Deliver Readiness, Build Capabilities, and Enhance Logistics Deterrence,” brought together leaders from across the defense ecosystem – including the military, government, and private sector – to collaborate on addressing the complexities of contested logistics and global supply chain issues.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Launey, commander of DLA Weapons Support (Richmond), commenced the day’s events by framing the mission for attendees.
“Yesterday was an incredible kickoff. Walking throughout the venue, I saw precisely what this event was designed for: open, candid and productive dialogue, a transfer of innovative ideas, and creative solutions being shared between a wide variety of the Department of War and our vital industry partners,” Launey said. “We’ve spent a lot of time discussing the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ – our shared challenges, the shifting global landscape and the strategic priorities of several services in the joint force. But today, we’re going to focus on the ‘how’ – How do we take the fresh perspectives we gained yesterday and apply them to our daily operational challenges? How do we translate our collective capability, our innovative ideas, our relentless pursuit, our responsive sustaining strategies and concepts, and the generating of readiness and lethality for our warfighters? Because this is about them. It’s always about them!”
This focus on the ‘how’ highlighted the agenda for the day, which was packed with immersive breakout sessions, networking opportunities and a keynote address from DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly.
In his address, Simerly compared the agency’s mission and its relationship with industry partners to a powerful Korean phrase he learned during a tour of service in the Republic of Korea: “Katchi Kapshida,” which means “We go together.”
"When I think about the term alliance here – supply chain alliance – it’s about going together every step of the way,” Simerly said. “In order for us to go together, we all need to understand where we’re going so that we can achieve those common goals together."
Simerly emphasized that this partnership is woven into the fabric of the nation’s defense. Quoting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, he noted, “In every military option, we could not do our jobs without the men and women, across our country, who show up every day, around the clock, to a factory floor, a workshop, a laboratory, who build the weapons and capabilities we need to project American combat power.”
This sentiment echoed a statement Simerly referenced from the Honorable Michael Duffey, Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, who reminded attendees during a fireside chat that “future conflicts will be won on the factory floor as much as on the field of battle.”
Beyond high-level strategy, day 2 provided tangible, practical information for attendees. The agenda featured a series of specialized breakout sessions and Knowledge Bars designed to address specific industry challenges and opportunities.
Breakout sessions included:
• Mitigating Critical Material Risk: A session focused on the methods of prioritization of critical materials for the DLA and Department of War, as well as programmatic actions being taken to ensure the availability of these materials to the warfighter.
• CMMC Partnering for Cyber Readiness: An overview of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, designed to protect sensitive government information by ensuring defense contractors meet specific cybersecurity standards.
• Ask a Director of Supplier Operations: A panel discussion and Q&A session giving industry representatives direct access to DLA leaders who oversee supplier relationships.
• Supplier Pathways: An interactive tutorial hosted by the DLA Office of Small Business Programs to guide businesses, particularly smaller enterprises, on how to effectively partner with the agency.
The popular Knowledge Bar series continued in the main exhibit hall, featuring informal, expert-led discussions on topics including: enhancing efficiency in distribution led by DLA Distribution’s Deputy Director (acting) Joseph Farris; End-to-End quality management led by DLA Energy; and an IT strategy session led by DLA’s Chief Information Officer Adarryl Roberts, providing direct engagement on technology and data initiatives.
Day 2 concluded with remarks from retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Allan Day, current vice president of Logistics at Salesforce and previous DLA Aviation commander; and the Honorable David Norquist, president and CEO of NDIA, who thanked attendees for their commitment.
As the lights dimmed at the convention center, the message was clear: in a world of increasing complexity, the strength of the nation’s defense rests on the foundation of collaboration. The symposium was not just a meeting, but a critical working session dedicated to fortifying that foundation, ensuring that DLA and its industry partners can continue to “go together” to deliver readiness and support the warfighter, anytime, anywhere.