Navy/DLA Service Integration Day address logistics challenges, share insights towards streamlined support

To drive and sustain warfighter readiness in a contested environment, unmatched, agile, adaptive and resilient global logistics support must be delivered, the Defense Logistics Agency director said to Navy and civilian logistics leaders during the annual Navy/DLA Service Integration Day conference at the McNamara Headquarters Complex Oct. 23.

"We must focus on our collective efforts and be mindful of the many challenges the Navy faces and plan to address as they pertain to logistics," Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said.

Simerly posed questions to get attendees thinking about what is needed to really achieve interoperability during a rapidly evolving geopolitical environment fraught with pacing adversarial threats.

"As we think about our ability to deliver in the future, we will continue to examine how we deliver today. We have got to ask ourselves, where can we refine and better integrate? Where are we meeting expectations, and where are we not?" Simerly said, emphasizing how discussions on posture are integral to readiness and tomorrow's combat success and effectiveness.

Echoing the DLA director's readiness stance and responding to his note that "logisticians are no longer simply providers and observers," Naval Supply Systems Command Commander and Chief of the Supply Corps Navy Rear Adm. Kenneth Epps recounted several recent joint war fighting training exercises in the Pacific.

Epps described how deployed Navy logisticians were locked in step with the warfighter to better understand critical need for future real-world requirements.

"We are now active participants in these ongoing joint training exercises and real-world missions," Epps said.

"We need to take advantage of these opportunities and build on momentum to provide better, more streamlined logistics support. We need to identify problem areas and immediately address the source," Epps added.

Simerly presented the agency's new strategic plan, "DLA Transforms: A Call to Action," with a focus on the human element as one of the most important aspects to achieving success.

"As an agency, we must recruit and retain talented employees who possess the critical skill sets necessary to overcome contested logistics challenges," he said.

The Chief of Naval Operations' newly published navigation plan was a frequently referenced document by Navy leaders in attendance. The CNO-NAVPLAN 2024 is a strategic guideline that charts a path towards naval force readiness via real-world training scenarios and autonomous cyber-centric systems.

The plan essentially outlines how to get more ready players on the field by 2027 through the removal of legacy operating systems via a streamlined approach. This streamlined approach will make way for modern autonomous platforms requiring the recruitment of critical talent, and the retention of quality experienced personnel via relevant training opportunities through training.

Navy leaders said they believe this new plan will not only deter adversarial threats but win America's future wars and contribute to the joint warfighting ecosystem. Throughout the annual service day, Navy leaders updated their DLA counterparts on agency support, logistical requirements and industry partner-based support gaps. Discussions led to an open exchange of shared insights and real-time solutions, chances for future collaboration and overall force development opportunities-based discussions.

The need for more accurate demand forecasting, challenges in parts provisioning, and data interoperability were among the other discussion topics presented to create a united understanding of changes impacting the tactical, operational and strategic levels of warfighting.