Property disposal field offices to close

Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services recently announced it will shutter most of its property disposal field offices by the end of fiscal 2022. 

Despite widespread small site closures, support services will continue unabated, and an overall reduction of customer wait time is expected. Many DLA Disposition Services field activities will enjoy capability increases as 60 full-time employee positions are shifted to enhance under-resourced locations and Fort Campbell expands into a full-service small field site.

The permanent closures will affect DLA’s small property disposal sites at the following locations:

• Aberdeen Proving Ground
• Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany
• Fort Benning
• Fort Bliss
• Blue Grass Army Depot
• Naval Base Kitsap
• Patrick Space Force Base
• Joint Base Charleston
• Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
• Naval Air Station Corpus Christi *
• Naval Support Activity Crane 
• Fort Dix
• Fort Drum
• Dyess Air Force Base
• Malmstrom Air Force Base
• Naval Station Great Lakes
• Naval Construction Training Center Gulfport
• Redstone Arsenal
• Fort Jackson
• Kirtland Air Force Base 
• Fort Knox
• Nellis Air Force Base
• Offutt Air Force Base
• Tinker Air Force Base *
• Fort Polk
• Pease Air National Guard Base
• Quantico
• Rock Island Arsenal
• Fort Snelling
• Fort McCoy
• Fort Stewart
• Tobyhanna Army Depot
• Vandenberg Air Force Base
• Watervliet Arsenal
• Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

(Sites denoted with * will retain agency environmental specialists at those locations only)

The realignment of reverse logisticians from field offices to larger field activities is the result of extensive analyses that found field offices handle just 2.8% of the network’s total workload while consuming about 13% of the command’s labor costs. The repositioning of manpower is expected to save nearly $2 million over a two-year period while lowering customer wait time by almost a full day on average and increasing annual property receipts by about 125,000 items.

Six field offices will remain open, covering a critical geographic or operational gap that field activities could not efficiently absorb. Those locations are at Naval Submarine Base New London, Whiteman, Ellsworth AFB, Scott AFB, Minot AFB, Holloman AFB and Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico. Fort Campbell will redesignate as a field activity.    
DLA Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon briefed logistics leaders from each of the armed services and sought military customer feedback before enacting the plan. DLA Director Vice Admiral Michelle Skubic officially approved Field Office Realignment in early April and employees at affected sites were recently notified of impending closures after consultation with employee union representatives.

“I would love to have a property disposal specialist out there at every single military installation there is,” Cannon said. “Is it great to have people out there? Absolutely. But it’s costly. Closing offices is not fun to do, but in this environment, it’s a necessity.”

Cannon said the costs DLA Disposition Services needed to shrink as its contribution to DLA’s overall budget reduction goals was equivalent to losing nearly 20 full-time field positions. He said eliminating customer-facing jobs would diminish the command’s ability to deliver the level of property disposal help and expertise warfighters have come to expect.

“I am unwilling to arbitrarily cut people to save money,” Cannon said. “Our best path forward is to keep all of the positions we have – because we aren’t getting any more – and put them where the work is, while striving to provide the same attention, the same training and the same expertise to our military customers as we have consistently for decades.”

Site closures will occur on a case-by-case basis. DLA Disposition Services site and regional personnel will reach out to customers to help them understand timelines for local closure and how to continue turning in property, screen excess equipment, deal with scrap and hazardous materials and schedule transportation.

Disposal service representatives will remain engaged and ready to help answer questions. Digital DSR remains a one-stop online location for property searches, item turn-in tools and scheduling for disposal. Robust Receipt-In-Place capabilities will allow DOD customers to take unwanted property off their books without having to haul anything to a DLA site. 

“We will continue to provide property disposal and reuse training across all levels and transportation will still be scheduled within 21 days,” Cannon said. “Our field site reps are outstanding at what they do, and I know they will take care of our warfighters. The only thing that may have changed is where their desk is located.”  

More information on site closures will soon become available through the DLA Disposition Services website and via normal customer support channels. Installations will be notified as actual closure dates are determined. Questions on closures can also be sent to the DLA Disposition Services Field Office Realignment Team at dladispsvcsfor@dla.mil.