Many teams making DLA’s hurricane support possible

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -

Hurricane support at the Defense Logistics Agency is like a symphony orchestra. Liaison officers help federal responders determine needs, supply chain experts obligate essential items from DLA stock or arrange for vendors to quickly furnish it, and distribution workers receive and process the supplies at forward staging bases.

Blending all those efforts is the conductor: DLA's Agency Synchronization Operations Center.

The ASOC is now in the throes of unifying DLA's support to military and federal teams providing relief to states reeling back from Hurricane Helene while also preparing to assist after Hurricane Milton comes ashore on Florida's Gulf Coast and crosses the state.

"There are a lot of requirements coming in from numerous players, all of them working to arrange support as quickly as possible. Our goal here in the ASOC is to capture the requirements 24/7, synchronize the constant flow of information and data, and keep leaders informed so they can make timely decisions that shape our response," said Air Force Lt. Col. Brian Campbell, chief of the ASOC's Current Operations Branch.

By Oct. 8, DLA Distribution's expeditionary team had processed 136 trailers of meals, water, generators and other items at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Incident Support Base at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. It takes skill to meet the constant need, said Army Lt. Col. Kimberly Ellenburg, the team's commander, adding that coordination with the ASOC, DLA Distribution Logistics Operations Center, FEMA and supply chain experts at DLA Troop Support is also critical.

"Our collaborative efforts assist in providing real-time updates as environments change, and having open lines of communication provides an atmosphere to mitigate any shortfalls as quickly as possible," she said.

Even before Helene made landfall, DLA liaison officers embedded with logistics partners at FEMA, U.S. Northern Command and other supporting entities to help them understand what commodities the agency can provide. That's not a solo effort.

"It's not just me out here making this happen," said Ralph Laurie, a DLA LNO embedded with NORTHCOM's logistics staff at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"The experts at DLA Troop Support and our ASOC are hearing from forward-positioned LNOs multiple times a day as we all help our customers define their requirements," he continued. "Our supply chain experts are also working with vendors to expedite deliveries."

Jay Schaeufele, DLA's LNO to FEMA, and Rhonda Mustafaa, DLA LNO to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are working alongside planners at FEMA's National Response Coordination Center. Though DLA has pre-scripted mission assignments outlining how it provides items like food and fuel to FEMA, DLA offers unique solutions to the nuanced impacts of each storm. Real-time data on DLA stock levels and locations, as well as a wholistic picture of what agencies need and where, can be key at those times, said Army Maj. Crystal Marlatt, a DLA Energy LNO to the ASOC who helps consolidate information.

ASOC meetings with DLA major subordinate command liaisons who synthesize support to FEMA and NORTHCOM "generate a lot of discussion as we anticipate future requirements and answer requests for information on potential support. So the ASOC is a conduit that pulls all that information together," Marlatt said.

Distribution process workers and fuel quality assurance representatives deployed to Fort Campbell and Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, can also access that information with support from DLA's Contingency Information Technology Team. Two-person teams deploy mobile trailers with secure satellites and broadband cellular communications to give employees the same electronic capabilities they have at their home-station desk.

"And it's important that we keep the ASOC abreast of our mobile capabilities, because needs can change," said Tony Johnson, chief of contingency IT operations for the east coast. "I just heard that one of our Rapid Deployment Teams may stand up to support Hurricane Milton, for example, and they may need one of our mobile capabilities. That's where the ASOC would help us deconflict and prioritize missions."

At the same time, DLA's finance team tracks total costs of support by organization, material type and quantities. Those numbers are critical for billing appropriate organizations and must be reported to the comptroller at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said Army Maj. Larry Mann, an ASOC LNO from DLA Finance.

The ASOC even maintains accountability of DLA's service members and issues limited evacuation orders for military and civilian employees in the affected areas. The evacuation order for those in Milton's path was pushed out days before landfall.

Though DLA employees' attention may be laser-focused on their own corners of support, Laurie said the effort is "definitely a whole-of-agency thing."

"It's a partnership that involves so many different players working together across DLA with supporting organizations like NORTHCOM and FEMA," he said. "It takes every one of us to be successful."

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