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News | March 1, 2016

Air Force senior leaders visit DLA Aviation

By Cathy Hopkins DLA Aviation Public Affairs

Defense Logistics Agency Aviation officials hosted senior leaders from the Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma Feb. 23 on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia.

Jeffrey Allen, Air Force Sustainment Center executive director and Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark Johnson, commander, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, spent a couple hours on center where they received an enterprise and DLA Aviation overview from DLA Aviation’s Air Force Logistics Career Broadener Capt. Kelly Dickerson. 

Following Dickerson’s brief, they discussed the supply chain’s basic business and procurement initiatives that have improved warfighter support with Steve Kinskie, DLA Aviation’s chief of staff and operations officer, Charlie Lilli, DLA Aviation deputy commander, and other DLA Aviation leaders.

Kinskie spoke to Allen and Johnson about the activity’s crown jewel population (top 5,000 most active items) and actions taken to obtain roughly 94 percent, toward a 96 percent goal, of material availability on the items.

Lilli shared results from deep-dive investigations into why it is hard to find suppliers for certain items, to include lack of interest and engineering or technical issues.

‘We have begun taking a team approach to sourcing problems with the Navy that we would like to explore with the Air Force,” said Lilli. “With the combined team we are able to gain more interest in solving the sourcing issues.”  He said team members include the military service, engineers, suppliers and program offices.

Paul Bristow, a DLA Aviation Strategic Acquisition Programs Directorate supplier relationship manager, briefed Allen and Johnson on successes with recent DLA Aviation Captains of Industry and other long-term contract vehicles that have shared incentives lowering costs and procurement lead times, while ensuring a constant supply of needed parts.

Lilli also provided an update on the activity’s progress in awarding a new Industrial Prime Vendor contract at Air Force air logistics complexes and efforts to smoothly transition from the existing contract.

“We need some help here in nailing down a few points like schedule of items, performance metrics and kitting, before the contract can roll out,” he said. 

Johnson agreed that the team needs to establish a monthly battle rhythm and make sure it is aligned from top to bottom.

Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Ogorek, a DLA Aviation Customer Operations Directorate’s operation officer, closed the afternoon briefing out.  He brought both Allen and Johnson up-to-date on actions that DLA Aviation has taken to improve our support of the Air Force Nuclear Enterprise, detailing the enterprise’s recent investments and partnerships to ensure mission capability for various weapon systems.