Fort Belvoir, Virginia –
DLA TROOP SUPPORT EMPLOYEES VISIT SUPPLIER, IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF INDUSTRY
Twelve employees from Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support’s clothing and textiles directorate gained a better understanding of the supply chain during a recent tour of DeRossi & Sons, which has been making uniforms for the U.S. military since World War II.
Ken Drexinger, a demand planner, said the visit gave him a newfound respect for the manufacturing process and the people who work in factories.
“The work happens so fast that it requires a high level of focus and attention to detail,” he said.
The visit was a result of employees’ desire to know how their roles contribute to the overall supply chain.
“I think if everyone understands that bigger picture, their job becomes more meaningful,” Drexinger added.
Similar visits are being planned for employees who work with suppliers to meet customers.
– Jason Kaneshiro
More online: go.usa.gov/ceJEC
DLA JOINS AIR FORCE, ARMY TO TEST SKILLS IN EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS
Defense Logistics Agency personnel joined soldiers and airmen in March for Turbo Distribution, a joint exercise that tests mobility operations and expeditionary combat support by providing a dynamic venue with scenarios to challenge participants on complex operations in a deployed environment.
The exercise uses U.S. Transportation Command’s Joint Task Force-Port Opening mission set, combining the Air Force’s swift airbase opening capability and the Army’s cargo movement and tracking and distribution capabilities.
DLA partners with the services in three JTF-PO exercises each year, but participants regard Turbo Distribution as one of the most important.
“This is by far the most realistic training we go through, and it gives us the opportunity to integrate and coordinate points of difficulties with our counterparts, making it easier to complete the mission when we are called upon,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Chavis Wright of the 821st Contingency Response Support Squadron.
The JTF-PO specializes in rapidly establishing hubs for cargo distribution operations worldwide, to include remote or damaged locations, on short notice. Previous deployments include humanitarian assistance missions to Haiti, Pakistan and Japan, and contingency deployments in support of military operations in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South America.
– Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Hicks
More online: go.usa.gov/ceJpk
DLA, AFRICOM EXTEND PARTNERSHIP
The Defense Logistics Agency and U.S. Africa Command in February signed a three-year agreement that outlines and extends DLA’s support to the regional command.
“DLA has really stepped up by giving us a full team of subject matter experts that will make an immediate difference when we have to react rapidly to a situation on the continent. We couldn’t do it without DLA,” said Paul Brown, AFRICOM deputy director for logistics.
Brown said the most prominent example of DLA’s support to AFRICOM was during Operation United Assistance, the U.S. military’s response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. He called the operation a “huge logistics lift” involving moving thousands of troops and medical equipment in a matter of weeks.
DLA’s presence on the AFRICOM staff has expanded since then, and the current agreement calls for 11 fulltime employees to serve with AFRICOM counterparts. The agreement also states that DLA representatives will be integrated into AFRICOM’s planning processes. At AFRICOM, planners prepare for everything from annual exercises like Flintlock 2016 to crisis operations like Operation United Assistance. Planners consider how, when and where to sustain forces and who provides that sustainment.
– Army Staff Sgt. Christopher C. Klutts
More online: go.usa.gov/ceJv3
WORKFORCE RESILIENCY WEBSITE LAUNCHES
A new workforce resiliency webpage is now available for DLA employees and their families to use in developing behaviors and skills to cope with today’s challenging work-life environment.
The workforce resiliency website offers definitions to assist in understanding the DLA resiliency model and its supporting pillars, as well as links to training, local field activity resiliency programs and DLA activities that assist in building resiliency.
“We promised our employees the tools and resources needed to help them become more resilient. This website is one of those tools,” DLA Chief of Staff Renee Roman said. “As we go forward, we’ll add more links, articles and useful videos. We hope that in the very near future it will be a ‘one-stop shop’ for DLA employees seeking to know more about resiliency.”
Resiliency is an agency core value and, according to DLA Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Andy Busch, a vital part of the foundation of all DLA actions and decisions made to support the agency workforce, customers and stakeholders. Fortifying workforce resiliency is also part of the DLA Strategic Plan for 2015-2022.
– DLA Public Affairs
More online: www.dla.mil/info/resiliency.aspx