FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
Editor’s note: This is the sixth of nine stories featuring 2020 DLA Hall of Fame inductees. A video highlighting inductees’ contributions to the agency will be broadcast on DLA’s Facebook page June 23.
Former Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Acquisition Executive Milton Lewis is one of nine inductees into the 2020 DLA Hall of Fame.
Lewis became the director of what was then Defense Supply Center Columbus’ Land-Based Weapons Systems Group in the final assignment of his 29-year Army career in 2004. He returned in 2008 as the organization’s first acquisition executive and remained there until he retired in 2017. He was inducted into the DLA Land and Maritime Hall of Fame in 2019.
As a strong proponent of establishing meaningful performance standards for acquisition professionals, Lewis inspired almost 350 acquisition professionals to receive certification through the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act from September 2012 to October 2015. Another 400 associates achieved DAWIA certification in purchasing and 22 were accepted into the Acquisition Corps.
Lewis also championed the First Destination Transportation and Packaging Initiative that integrated multiple DLA supply chains with transportation providers, the Defense Contract Management Agency and the military services. The initiative leveraged DLA’s buying power for better transportation rates, consolidated shipments under existing freight contracts, and aligned DLA’s packaging standards with those of commercial industry to reduce cost and increase efficiencies. According to Lewis’ nomination, the effort reduced costs by $7.6 million between October 2013 and May 2015.
DLA Land and Maritime’s relationship with the defense industry also strengthened after Lewis established its Strategic Supplier Alliance Program. The partnerships resulted in better support for major weapons systems and paved the way to joint contracting opportunities and successful implementation of depot level reparable transfer initiatives mandated by 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decisions.
Markings used by the DLA Land and Maritime Electronics Test Lab to prevent counterfeit parts from entering the military supply chain were developed under Lewis’ leadership as well. He will be inducted into the DLA Hall of Fame later this year.
Editor's note: View Lewis' segment of the 2020 DLA Hall of Fame ceremony video from June 23: