The Defense Logistics Agency:
The Strategic Partner for the 21st Century
by LtCol Edward Ramsey
‘Forget logistics, you lose.’
—LTG Frederick Franks, USA,
Commander, VII Corps,Operation DESERT STORM
As a Marine Corps supply officer I had limited exposure to strategic logistics issues until I was assigned to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). After 3 years in a joint billet with the agency, I walked away with a greater understanding of DLA and with the realization that the Marine Corps must do a better job capitalizing on DLA’s capabilities.
History
DLA has supported the Services and combatant commanders for over 40 years. DLA employs 21,490 civilians, 524 active duty military, and 637 reservists. It has facilities in 48 states and 28 foreign countries. The agency also maintains a forward deployed presence in all regional combatant commands. In order to better support the warfighter, DLA is transforming its outdated business practices into more modern, responsive systems and expanding its forward presence around the globe.
Modernization
Business system modernization (BSM) resulted from a thorough analysis of DLA’s legacy systems as mandated by the Office of the Secretary of Defense directives. BSM replaces DLA’s 1960s legacy material management systems with commercial off-the-shelf systems. This major reengineering process across the DLA enterprise will provide end-to-end material, financial, and procurement management.
Customer relationship management (CRM) is another modernization tool that will transform DLA into a more customer-orientated organization. CRM will provide the DLA enterprise with a greater understanding of customers’ needs in order to anticipate demands. CRM will greatly increase DLA’s capacity to forecast Service requirements and will ensure that the industrial base is prepared to meet any surge in requirements due to increased operational tempo. CRM will also utilize performance-based agreements (PBAs) established with each Service to assist in predicting increased demands on the industrial base. DLA has added to its organizational structure and established a J–4 customer operations and readiness section that is committed to dealing with customer issues, readiness issues, and logistic issues affecting forward deployed forces. The J–4 is directly engaged with Headquarters Marine Corps through the Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics. Quarterly meetings occur between the J–4 director and his logistics counterparts in the Marine Corps to address DLA support issues, readiness challenges, and any requirements unique to the Marines.
DLA Initiatives in Direct Support of the Marine Corps
DLA has developed a partnership with the Marine Corps through a formal written PBA and the institution of quarterly partnership agreement councils (PACs). Signed on 22 January 2004, the PBA is a formal agreement that outlines partnering efforts between DLA and the Marine Corps with a focus on improving logistics and readiness issues. The PBA also holds DLA to established parameters in supply availability to support Marine forces. The PAC is a forum where major subordinate commands can sit at the table with representatives from DLA and address issues affecting logistics and discuss viable solutions.
Through the PBA and PAC processes, several initiatives have emerged that should improve Marine Corps wholesale logistics. The national inventory management strategy is the integration of wholesale and retail support to the Marine Corps. This initiative places DLA managed items at supported activities supply system management units within the Marine Corps. Costs are incurred only when the item is requisitioned and delivered to the unit. This initiative will reduce inventory costs for the Marine Corps and help capture retail demand data for DLA-managed items.
Another initiative is the forward-stocking of DLA-managed parts and supplies requisitioned by the Marine Corps at distribution depots located around the world. Forward positioned DLA depots are currently located in Sicily, Guam, Kuwait, Korea, Italy, Japan, and Germany. The forward depot in Kuwait will solve many of the in-theater sustainment issues and reduce the average customer wait time by 50 percent. By forward positioning assets, DLA helps to lower requisition wait time, save on ocean transportation costs, and improve Marine Corps equipment readiness.
DLA dedicated truck service is another initiative that saves transportation costs for the Marine Corps. DLA provides truck service from its distribution centers on the west and east coasts directly to established Marine Corps bases and stations. Nearly 30 dedicated trucks are dispatched each week in support of the Corps. This service reduces air transportation costs and improves customer wait time for the Marine Corps. This service should be utilized to the fullest extent possible.
Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Support
DLA has expanded its global presence with 101 deployed civilians and military (both Active and Reserve) serving as members of DLA contingency support teams (DCSTs) located in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. DLA also has liaison officers attached to combatant commands and assigns personnel to the U.S. Central Command’s (CentCom’s) Deployment Distribution Operations Center (DDOC) in Kuwait. DLA also has in-theater commands that provide logistics support to combatant commanders. These commanders serve as uniform faces to address the warfighters’ unique needs within the various geographical commands. DLA’s support to the GWOT also includes subsistence prime vendor programs in Iraq and Afghanistan that support over 70 dining facilities, provide fuel for deployed forces through established contracts with host nations, provide Class IV barrier materials from prepositioned stocks in Bahrain, and provide parts support from the distribution depots in Kuwait and Korea.
DLA, along with the U.S. Transportation Command, was instrumental in establishing the DDOC concept that was formed in support of the GWOT within the CentCom area of responsibility located at Camp Arifijan, Kuwait. Various DLA experts in distribution and commodities form a team of subject matter experts who work to improve in-transit visibility of DLA stocks, enhance DLA theater presence, and reduce customer wait time for the warfighter. The DDOC concept has expanded to the Pacific and European theaters and, along with DCSTs, has become part of DLA’s deployment structure to support exercises or contingency operations. DLA is also in the early stages of developing a seabased approach to supporting the warfighter in contingency operations.
Leveraging DLA Capabilities
DLA brings some unique wholesale logistics capabilities that the Marine Corps must leverage in order to reduce footprint, save transportation costs, and support deployed personnel. DLA has prime vendors already in place around the world to support contingency operations with various classes of supply. The agency has distribution depots strategically placed around the world that could forward-stock critical parts and supplies vital to the Marine Corps mission. Marine Corps supply expeditors should be strategically positioned at these depots to ensure smooth delivery of DLA-provided supplies and products. DLA’s distribution hubs, located on both the west and east coasts of the United States, provide a global reachback capability to expedite surface shipments to fill critical Marine Corps requirements. The Marine Corps should take advantage of these distribution hubs by learning how to expedite priority shipments and divert critical air channel shipments from these distribution hubs. DLA also operates a 24-hour per day operations center coordinating ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, while also engaging critical support requirements submitted by the Services. This operations center should be readily accessed by Marines inquiring upon the status of ordered DLA goods and services.
Recommendations
- Increase the number of Marines assigned to DLA and establish a 12-month internship program with the agency in order to expand the wholesale logistics knowledge in the company grade officer and staff noncommissioned officer ranks. Currently, the Marine Corps has only 29 Marines assigned to the various DLA activities.
- Utilize DLA’s ability to preposition critical Marine Corps repair parts, clothing, and subsistence items as strategic stocks around the globe. This stock positioning will enhance the Marine Corps’ global reach and provide critical sustainment capabilities for the combatant commanders.
- Leverage DLA prime vendor contracts already established within geographical regions.
- Establish a Marine Corps Reserve support unit within the J–9 of Headquarters, DLA. This organization would provide Reserve support to DLA operations and increase the wholesale supply knowledge of Reserve logisticians.
- Expand the number of customer service representatives (CSRs) assigned to Marine Corps units. CSRs perform an invaluable service for commanders by providing a strategic logistics picture and by outlining the support DLA can provide to deploying units.
- Establish a DLA distribution depot center in Okinawa, Japan. The Marine Corps would benefit from having DLA assume the current costs associated with warehousing and storage. The Marine Corps would also see a reduction in customer wait time and improve the readiness posture of III Marine Expeditionary Force with an established depot directly supporting deploying Marines within the area of operations.
Summary
DLA has been assigned as the executive agent for Class I (subsistence), Class III (fuel), and Class VIII (medical) supplies for future theater operations. Marine logisticians need to become acutely aware that DLA and its deployed personnel are becoming familiar faces on the battlefield and, in particular, in the rear area logistics areas. Future joint battlefields will see an increasing number of logisticians from the agency engaged in providing supply support for the Services and combatant commands. The Marine Corps needs to take advantage of DLA core capabilities and utilize DLA as a strategic partner in conflicts of the 21st century. Beneficial outcomes from such partnering will be reduction of the Marine Corps logistics footprint in the battlefields of the future, cost avoidance in terms of transportation and storage costs, forward-stocking of critical Marine Corps supply requirements, and increased engagement at the strategic level of wholesale logistics.
>LtCol Ramsey completed his tour with DLA and is now assigned to 1st MAW in Okinawa.
