DLA Distribution shares lessons learned with Japanese allies

Officers from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ordnance school took a tour of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Yokosuka, Japan August 29. As part of the tour, they learned about the wholistic effort of DLA and the specific mission set of DLA Distribution.

"This presented a perfect opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the nation of Japan," said Navy Cmdr. Daniel Maldonado, commander, DLA Distribution Yokosuka, Japan. "By sharing our experiences and processes with our ally, Japan, we gain a mutual understanding between our two nations which in turn contributes immensely to security of the region."

By learning about the operations of DLA as a whole and the individual operations of DLA Distribution Yokosuka, Japan, officers of the JGSDF gained insight into how their American counterparts conduct sustainment operations in the region of Japan and globally.

JGSDF officers were able to witness and learn first-hand from DLA Distribution employees about the hands-on process of receipt, storage, inventory, system support, packing and shipping.

"The long-term hope is that lessons learned from the visit encourages these young Japanese officers to build and improve upon the integration our two nations already share," said Maldonado.

DLA Distribution Yokosuka, Japan, is composed of 20 facilities which contain 3.2 million cubic feet of covered storage and 61,000 square feet of open storage. The distribution center has general purpose, humidity controlled, secure, hazardous material, freeze, and chill warehousing capabilities.