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News | Aug. 12, 2016

USTRANSCOM leader visits Troop Support to strengthen DLA partnership

By Jason Kaneshiro DLA Troop Support Public Affairs

The senior enlisted leader of the U.S. Transportation Command made his first visit to Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Aug. 10 to strengthen the relationship between the two organizations.

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Caruso was joined by Army Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Tobin, DLA senior enlisted leader, during the visit that included a trip to the Federal Correctional Institution at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Tobin said it was important that Caruso see military uniforms made at the joint base's FCI.

"There's nothing more valuable than a face-to-face-engagement, " Tobin said. "He sees first-hand how the uniforms get made and relate that to the troopers."

Caruso said that seeing the Clothing and Textiles supply chain's flag room was important to him on a personal level as an enlisted warfighter.

"It was very moving to me, because we are the flag bearers," Caruso said. "We represent the standards and discipline that the offices of those flags represent. So it meant a lot to me to see where it gets created."

Caruso was also briefed by each of Troop Support's five supply chains. He said that he'll take what he learned and relay it to his team at USTRANSCOM.

"We've got to keep the relationships strong," Caruso said. "If we find ourselves going to the next crisis around the world, we can't create relationships after the crises have occurred. We've got to have prior ties like we have now. That's the biggest takeaway for me."

USTRANSCOM is a unified combatant command that supports the Defense Department and other government agencies by moving, and managing the movement of, personnel and materiel. USTRANSCOM delivers the DLA-provided materiel to warfighters around the world by land, air and sea.