The 2026 Defense Logistics Agency Supply Chain Alliance Symposium and Exhibition focused on discussing prominent topics from both the military and the industrial base: delivering readiness, building capabilities and enhancing logistics deterrence.
More than 1,300 representatives from industry and government entities attended the two-day event June 2-3 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association in partnership with DLA.
Day 1
This annual event brings together leaders from across the War Department and vital industry programs, said Navy Rear Adm. Julie Treanor, commander of DLA Weapons Support (Columbus).
“Your presence and active engagement here ensures we remain united, agile and ready to learn from and support one another in an increasingly complex global environment,” Treanor said. “Our shared commitment has never been more critical. The conversations we have here over the next two days will directly impact our ability to reform acquisition, strengthen our supply lines, and rapidly field the resilient capabilities our warfighters need to win.”
The first day included a fireside chat between DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly and Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael P. Duffey. During the chat, Simerly posed questions about the revitalization efforts DOW is pursuing in the industrial base.
The department is working to better understand the supply chain, anticipate vulnerabilities, and break down barriers to promote competition and resilience in the industrial base, Duffey said, referencing a recent call to action to industry.
“We’ve got a team that’s working very hard on how we reduce the burden of the qualification and certification process,” he said. “I personally think that’s a major barrier to new entrants getting into the system. On the one hand, we need to ensure that the components and parts that we’re buying can be relied upon by the warfighter in the stressing use cases of battle. On the other hand, I’m concerned that we may be overengineering how we get to the level of confidence that we need, that a new entrant could provide as a qualified part or component to enter into the supply chain.”
The gains DLA has made in using artificial intelligence are essential, Duffey said, and he commended the work done to test the supply chain through bots and automation.
“I’ve been in the department for 20 years, and one of my big frustrations is that I always feel like we are a generation behind corporate America’s best business practices when it comes to leveraging information technology,” he said. “We’re immersed in information. The only way for us to effectively do our job is if we can assemble and leverage information in an effective way — in some cases artificial intelligence just does a better job.”
The duo also spoke about DLA’s revitalization of the national defense stockpile, the development of multi-year procurements to justify industry investment in surge capability, and empowerment of the defense industrial base, particularly with the small businesses that make up approximately 80% of the supplier base.
The first day of the conference also featured several knowledge bar discussions featuring senior leaders from across DLA’s major subordinate commands on topics such as the national defense stockpile, the DLA Weapons Support transformation effort, the four supply chains within DLA Troop Support, critical mineral recovery and the importance of timely delivery and payments.
Army Lt. Gen. Gavin Lawrence, deputy commanding general of Army Materiel Command and former commander of DLA Troop Support, said this year’s conference theme captures the strategic reality the department faces.
“First, our adversaries are accelerating, adapting faster, building capabilities and closing gaps faster than at any point in recent history,” he said. “Second, in order to match and ultimately overmatch that pace, we must invest deliberately and urgently into our defense industrial base and supply chains. Without that foundation, we cannot scale to meet the demands of steady state operations, let alone the pressures of crisis or conflict.”
Day 2
The second day of the symposium shifted focus from defining challenges to forging actionable solutions.
“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,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Launey, commander of DLA Weapons Support (Richmond), during his opening remarks. “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.”
The second day included breakout sessions, networking opportunities and a keynote address from Simerly.
DLA’s director compared the agency’s mission and its relationship with industry partners to a Korean phrase he learned during a tour of service in South 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 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Simerly said, “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.”
The second day of the event featured specialized breakout sessions and knowledge bars designed to address specific industry challenges and opportunities. Breakout session topics included mitigating critical material risk, CMMC partnering for cyber readiness, open questions to the director of supplier operations, and a look at supplier pathways.
The knowledge bar series continued in the main exhibit hall, featuring informal, expert-led discussions on topics including: enhancing efficiency in distribution led by acting DLA Distribution Deputy Director Joseph Farris, end-to-end quality management led by DLA Energy experts, and an IT strategy session led by DLA Chief Information Officer Adarryl Roberts.
Read more from this June 2026 edition of Loglines or browse more editions of the magazine on the Loglines Magazine website.