Changes in warfare require new approach to logistics support, director says in town hall

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -

No other organization could support the Defense Department and federal government like the Defense Logistics Agency has, the director said during a Global Town Hall and the agency's 63rd birthday Oct. 1 at the McNamara Headquarters Complex.

"DLA was built to last. It was also built to change, and that's really important as we think about the changing character of war," Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said, stressing the agency's responsibility as a combat support agency to stay relevant amid evolving global threats.

A new DLA Strategic Plan, called "DLA Transforms: A Call to Action," charts how the agency will remain competitive and responsive to future needs while continuing to support allies in Ukraine, Israel, the Pacific and beyond.

"In the past, we have been exquisite in our achievement of efficient solutions," he said. However, DLA's support must also be resilient in new conflicts where warfighters may be more dispersed and require logistics sustainment in multiple locations for longer periods.

Simerly outlined the people, precision, posture and partnerships imperatives of DLA's transformation. The agency must start by recruiting and retaining talented employees with skill sets that can help the agency overcome contested logistics challenges, he said.

Creating a collective understanding of battlefield changes and data is also critical. While the use of data will differ according to where employees work, "digital warriors" are needed at every supply chain and echelon.

"We're not trying to create a population of data scientists or data engineers, but we need skilled data leaders who can put data to use on a daily basis so we can make faster, more informed decisions and collaborate with our partners more effectively," the director added.

Addressing the need for DLA to calculate future sustainment needs precisely, Simerly noted that the agency has a 20% success rate in annual demand forecasting.

"We all know we can do better. We all know we must do better," he said. "It's about creating greater digital interoperability with the services and their disparate logistics information systems so we can constantly exchange data in an automated way rather than waiting to exchange monthly, quarterly or annual reports."

New digital tools, some of them harnessing artificial intelligence, are being developed to help the agency become more precise. Simerly said DLA will become a leading player in the Defense Department as it implements advanced technology.

The posture imperative refers to where DLA places people, supplies and logistics capabilities worldwide.

"Do we have the right people with the right skills and right level of experience in the right place to make a difference in this future fight? We have to take a hard look at ourselves to make sure that our presence is going to be up to the task in the future," he said.

Partnerships with the services, combatant commands, federal agencies and industry are essential to DLA's success, Simerly continued. As manufacturers and small businesses face challenges in multiple sectors, the agency will work to strengthen the industrial base and help national leaders determine how to better invest in capabilities so industry can be more resilient and responsive to needs.

Continued work with multinational partners and allies will also help DLA better define roles and responsibilities as nations capitalize on each other's strengths and capacities. DLA's collaboration with whole-of-government partners to provide commodities like fuel, food, bottled water and generators in response to Hurricane Helene is one example of state and local first responders' need for DLA's expertise, Simerly continued.

"These partnerships further enhance our ability to support warfighters as we expand our buying power and reach to become more resilient in our supply chains," he said.

Signature behaviors and values

DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn highlighted operating principles, or signature behaviors, that underscore how employees will implement the strategy: agility, transparency, readiness, empowerment, collaboration and data-driven.

Employees have demonstrated each principle in response to the hurricane, he said, pointing to their proactiveness in tracking data and supplies leading up to the storm, flexibility in meeting sudden demands quickly, and collaboration with U.S. Northern Command and federal agencies.

He singled out transparency as the area most needing improvement.

"We don't always have that orientation to share outside of our organizational unit, division or major subordinate command," he said, adding that better transparency will lead to interoperability throughout DLA's mission-focused workforce.

Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Alvin Dyer, DLA's senior enlisted leader, addressed values that have long been a part of DLA's culture: respect, trust, service, excellence and innovation. Treating people with dignity drives better production and teamwork, he said, and trust helps employees feel like their thoughts and ideas matter.

Dyer added that although National Suicide Prevention Month ended in September, it deserves awareness 365 days a year.

"We need to be looking out for each other. If you, yourself, are struggling, reach out to a teammate," he said. "Nobody should ever feel like there is no other way."

Telework policy

Responding to a question about DLA's telework policy, Simerly assured employees that telework will remain a workplace option despite an incorrect rumor that he intends to eliminate it. However, he noted that the advantages of working together, innovating and collaborating are hard to replicate in a mostly telework environment.

"We have changes to bring about collectively, and that's difficult to do when we are dispersed and not here together, thinking and working side by side, shoulder to shoulder," he said, adding that the policy implemented in January isn't necessarily enduring.

"We're constantly evaluating and seeing what it is that we need to do with that policy to get the best effect in terms of productivity, retention and innovation," he said.

Bunn added that while some consider the policy rigid, the flexibility for situational telework remains.

"If there are some reasons on a normal in-person day that an employee might need to telework, they have the option to ask their supervisor for that. In our culture, the way we train our supervisors is for that flexibility to be exercised more often than not whether it's for something going on at home, a medical appointment or anything along those lines."

Another employee asked why DLA was rebranded from "America's combat logistics support agency" to "the nation's logistics combat support agency." Simerly said the intent was to be more precise in describing what DLA is and does. "Combat support agency" is an official DOD designation for defense agencies that provide department-level and tactical support to the military during combat operations.

"I want to be sure everybody is clear on our identity as a combat support agency. That phrase underpins everything we're responsible for and why we exist," he added.

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