Latest tech course explores DLA’s logistics challenges

ARLINGTON, Va. -

A three-day course designed to tackle the Defense Logistics Agency's unique challenges is providing leaders with the tools and processes needed to create an environment and organizational culture that fosters innovation.

DLA Research and Development's Technology Accelerator Team created the Innovation Navigators Course to bring together senior employees from across the agency and examine common issues, break down silos and seek innovative solutions as a team. Its fourth offering ended June 28 with 28 participants from 14 different DLA organizations, its largest group so far.

"We are seeking 'change agents' who embrace new ideas to attend this course," said DLA R&D program manager Miesha Spann. "They will confront DLA's high-priority challenges while finding solutions that intersect desirability, feasibility and viability."

The course focused on a contested logistics theme, with participants exploring ways to overcome disruptions in logistics operations through a series of interactive exercises and modules.

"DLA continues to face challenges that require us, as an agency, to solve problems with velocity," said Chief Information Officer Adarryl Roberts.

"Contested logistics affects DLA's posture to support the warfighter. Rather than 'solving' it, DLA leaders need new methods for de-risking solutions in this broad area," he said.

Brad Gochnauer, DLA liaison officer to U.S. Pacific Fleet, recognizes the topic's importance as he works closely with one of DLA's most high-profile customers, noting PACFLT is at the 'tip of the spear' for contested logistics.

"All eyes are on DLA Indo-Pacific to rise to the occasion, which is as exciting as it is challenging," Gochnauer said.

He sees the course as a pathway for cross-functional teamwork with leaders tackling many of the same problem sets in different ways.

"I already have two projects coming out of the course. One is collaborating with [Pacific Fleet] to improve our surge modeling and another is improving exercise participation and DLA training plans," he said. "To me, the solution to DLA's biggest hurdles is collaboration and communication."

Makeya Porter, the metadata management and data quality branch chief in DLA Information Operations, appreciated the first-hand accounts of leaders making innovative breakthroughs in their areas of expertise.

"The course showed me that anyone in DLA can make change across all leadership levels," Porter said. "I look forward to applying what I've learned to my most challenging projects."

Porter provides data dictionaries, business glossaries and data quality support for DLA applications and products. She saw the course as a way to explore how data and business intelligence planning and decision making can better combat logistics challenges.

"I feel empowered to use my influence to make data and its tools more accessible to our users," she said. "This gives them the power to tackle contested logistics on a tactical level."

Additional courses are expected will be announced in fiscal 2025. Please contact Adam Price or Miesha Spann for more information.

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