DLA historian chronicles agency’s defining moments

Defense Logistics Agency holds a unique history rooted in its mission as the nation's Logistics Combat Support Agency. Born of necessity and transformed over six decades, DLA was 'Built to Change, Built to Last."

That was the theme as DLA Historian Colin Williams guided the DLA Land and Maritime workforce on a journey of change, highlighting the agency's defining moments, during a presentation Nov. 6 in the DLA Land and Maritime Operations Center on Defense Supply Center Columbus.

Williams, who has a doctorate in military history, introduced 10 historic events and discussed how they influenced change within DLA. He started with the first three months of the agency's existence as the Defense Supply Agency.

"The services weren't happy with the idea of DSA but we 'had a pass' due to the Berlin Crisis [of 1961] that almost brought the world to nuclear war," he said. "Army Lt. Gen. Andrew McNamara, DSA's first director, got things done."

He said DSA began with just McNamara and a secretary, who quickly formed a staff and received the Armed Forces Supply Support Center to integrate all logistics services. In 1962, DSA received seven single managers, and each service had the responsibility of managing a commodity for the entire military.

"The Army had the responsibility of managing construction supplies and did that right here in Columbus at the [then] Defense Construction Supply Center - and that was the beginning of DLA Land and Maritime's experience with DLA," Williams said, bringing it close to home for the audience.

"Going from two people to being fully operational in three months created another window. We had a lot of early efficiency wins, but what really secured DSA in the eyes of the services one year after formation was the Cuban Missile Crisis."

Williams described how DSA rose to meet the challenge when the U.S. government learned that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear weapons on Cuba, 90 miles from the continental U.S. DSA provided fuel and photographic film for U.S. planes and vessels, helped mobilize Army and Marine Corps units and most enduringly, provided material for fallout shelters.

"We had this mission before the crisis, it increased during the crisis and it remains decades later," he said. "If people ask why DLA provides commodities to [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] after natural disasters… we've never stopped. We have been a whole-of-government provider from day one."

Williams went on to explain DSA's support during the Vietnam War with extensive material requirements and 24/7 operations at the distribution centers.

In just six years after the creation of DSA, the agency surpassed 65,500 people. In addition to the growth in size, Williams said the biggest change for the agency at that time was the beginning of worldwide subsistence responsibilities resulting in an increased DSA presence in the Pacific and Europe.

That presence increased exponentially when DSA received worldwide management for bulk petroleum in 1972. This was a significant advancement in how DSA supported the services because having one part of the Defense Department control petroleum became very important and cost saving, Williams said.

"In the end, when we shed the DSA label and became the Defense Logistics Agency on Jan. 1, 1977, we were [and are] a worldwide organization. So, what are did we do with this new status?"

DLA added efficiency and effectiveness to defense operations and logistics by getting involved in weapon systems lifecycles earlier - in the design phase, Williams said, using the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the M1-Abrams tank as examples of DLA's success.

Williams noted that it was the signing of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 that led to DLA's official designation as a combat support agency.

Four years later, DLA got a taste of what the new designation meant with the start of the first Gulf War and the deployment of DLA experts into a combat theatre. This led to the design of DLA's contingency support teams after the war, he said.

DLA persevered in the 1990s through more change with a Post-Cold War transformation, which Williams described as the most transformative for the agency.

Several Defense Management Review Decisions came down the pipe, one of which consolidated all military distribution centers under DLA. In addition, four Base Realignment and Closures had a direct effect on the agency including the 1993 BRAC that moved the Defense Electronics Supply Center in Dayton, Ohio, to the Defense Construction Supply Center - now Defense Supply Center Columbus.

Williams discussed DLA's critical role in the War on Terror before ending his presentation touching on today's Great Power Competition and the need for change again - organizationally and operationally - to meet new threats in today's volatile world environment.

"Yes, we are built to change, but because we are…we have resiliency and we have assured relevancy," Williams said, emphasizing DLA's continued role as the nation's Logistics Combat Support Agency. "We are built to change AND built to last."

The presentation was organized by DLA Land and Maritime's People Support and Culture Division as part of ongoing efforts to connect the workforce with the DLA mission.

DLA Land and Maritime Acquisition Executive Robert Johnson described the presentation as one that every DLA employee should experience.

"What we do here matters, and [today's presentation] re-enforces that," he said. "Understanding our history is key to understanding our mission."

Watch a recording of the presentation here with a CAC-enable device.

Learn more about DLA's history here including links to works authored by Williams.