Senior Leader Orientation Course showcases agency’s mission, priorities to new leaders

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -

Onboarding into a new role within an organization that spans the globe can be daunting, but to make the transition a little easier, the Defense Logistics Agency director welcomed 52 senior military and civilian leaders during the Senior Leader Orientation Course Sept. 17-19.

The three-day course was aimed at incoming general and flag officers, senior executive service members, and senior military leaders in grades E-8 through E-9 and O-4 through O-6. Participants received a tour of the Agency Synchronization and Operations Center, a high-level overview of the organizational structure, briefings on the agency's culture and climate, and the functional areas necessary to provide top-quality support to the warfighter.

DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly challenged the new leaders to see themselves, their teams, and the mission within the greater strategy when introducing the agency's new strategic plan. He emphasized the challenges of contested logistics will be addressed through four lenses: people, precision, posture and partnerships.

Simerly spoke to the interconnectedness of the agency's support beyond its relationships with services and the Defense Department, to include its whole-of-government partnerships, which he said do not diminish, undermine or distract the support to the warfighter.

"We are able to utilize our Subsistence regional contracts that support our dining facilities [in the Continental United States] in support of the Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program, which provides fresh fruits and vegetables to schools in most states in the U.S., as well as support to Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security during natural disasters and humanitarian support missions," he said.

The director also emphasized the important role the defense industrial base plays in the agency's ability to accomplish its mission.

"The relationships that we have across all our supply chains, the services we provide, and how we deliver support through the industrial base: there is no aspect of what we do that does not have its underpinning in commercial support," Simerly said. "This is really important when you think about how we operate and serves as the base foundation of our support."

DLA Senior Enlisted Leader Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Alvin Dyer challenged the military leaders to stay connected to each other and their services while serving in their new joint assignment.

"Don't forget that you are the warfighter - you took an oath to defend the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic - so don't forget why you do what you do, because there are so many distractions out there to make us forget," Dyer said."

The senior enlisted leader also encouraged the leaders to be ready and stay ready to lead.

"At some point in your career, you have been tasked to lead. The same applies here at DLA," he said. "We are a support team, so as requirements change, we have to remain agile, ready and flexible to overcome any challenge you may face."

For many participants it was their first assignment at DLA, and they were open to learn more about the agency.

Army Lt. Col. Celina Pargo, DLA Distribution Korea commander, said she spent her first 90 days in her new role learning and understanding what DLA Distribution does to better communicate it to the joint logistics leadership there. She said that she was eager to attend SLOC and believes her experience will be beneficial moving forward.

"When speaking on behalf of DLA, as a distribution commander - I can further educate personnel not in DLA on who to call to resolve their logistics challenges because it is a very large organization," she said. "Being here has put things into perspective and I am clearer on my role and how I need to handle things moving forward."

Army Lt. Col. Brandon Ebel, DLA Distribution Anniston commander, echoed Pargo's sentiments after being in his new role for 60 days.

"This has been a great venue and the perfect timing to come and learn about the enterprise," he said. "It gives us more knowledge to educate and advocate for different equities across DLA because when they see this patch, they don't just see Distribution, the see DLA."

"It has been great just to come together to build relationships and identify points of contacts to ensure that we are able to connect our people and our customers to the resources they need to accomplish their mission," Ebel added.

Janice Rice, DLA Central Command & Southern Command deputy commander, was one of the few participants who had previously worked for the agency.

Rice served 20 years in uniform in the Army before retiring during a role with DLA in 2005 and returning the same year out of uniform. Despite her many years of service within the agency, Rice said she felt like a newbie.

"Although I am well connected because of my history with DLA - it does make it easy to partner and coordinate with others here - but for me to be successful in my new role, I needed to understand the various supply chains and the different organizations within DLA as well," Rice said.

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