SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 – Overcoming contested logistics challenges as the nation faces adversaries in all domains is the Defense Logistics Agency’s top priority as outlined in its new 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, “DLA Transforms: A Call to Action.”
The world has changed since DLA’s last Strategic Plan was published in 2021, DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said in a message at the beginning of the 16-page document. He described the current period as a transformative era with the military services and combatant commands revamping warfighting concepts, doctrine, training and equipment.
“We have recalibrated DLA’s strategy to best support our warfighters by transforming capabilities, strengthening our partnerships and shifting to more resilient supply chain solutions, all focused on our combat support mission,” he said.
The plan outlines four imperatives, each with corresponding objectives.
The imperatives are:
- People — Build organizational agility through our people and culture.
- Precision — Calibrate resilient and responsive logistics solutions in support of military readiness.
- Posture — Enhance support to integrated deterrence across the continuum of conflict in contested logistics environments.
- Partnerships — Lead logistics interoperability across the department, allies, whole of government and industrial base.
The objectives under the People imperative include defining clear, mission-driven standards for operating amid contested logistics and building workforce skillsets that reflect those standards. Training exercises will help refine procedures. Attracting and retaining talent also remain critical, as well as fostering an adaptive culture of growth, inclusion, support and safety.
The Precision imperative calls on DLA to improve demand forecasting and develop logistics strategies that allow the agency to tailor its approach to unique customer needs.
“DLA’s ability to forecast resourcing needs is one of the agency’s most important and underused strengths,” according to the plan. “We will collaborate with our mission partners to improve forecasting accuracy and increase readiness.”
Performance metrics will be aligned with customer readiness requirements. Internal controls and auditing are also expected to mitigate risks and enhance accountability.
Under the Posture imperative, DLA will position material and capabilities and leverage infrastructure to best support the services, combatant commands and allies. Resource strategies will support forward-positioning requirements and capital-intensive wartime inventory.
“Preparation for a potential surge is capital intensive, requiring funding flexibility to ensure DLA can support wartime inventory requirements while maintaining the health of our working capital fund,” the plan reads.
Rapid internal communication and collaboration will also be critical in surge operations, and the agency’s structure, governance and relationships will be designed to provide a decisional advantage over adversaries.
The fourth imperative, Partnerships, addresses the need to collaborate with members of the joint logistics enterprise, especially in contested logistics environments. DLA will inform resourcing and logistics needs by getting involved early in planning processes and training at service and combatant command levels.
“DLA’s mission success is heavily reliant upon our partnerships with the Defense Industrial Base,” the plan states. “To meet growing mission needs, DLA will build on existing relationships with our supplier community and seek additional partners to bolster overall capability and capacity.”
The agency will also strengthen multinational partnerships to enable mutual support and reduce supply chain risks while enhancing support to whole-of-government customers.
Information such as DLA’s revenue and contract numbers for fiscal 2023 is included, as well as an abbreviated overview of plan goals, a chart depicting DLA’s organizational layout and a glossary.
The plan was shaped by a deliberate agency assessment and feedback from current DLA senior leaders, customers, suppliers and former DLA directors.
“As we execute this strategic plan, we must continue to hold ourselves accountable. Rapid adaption, decision advantage and resilience are key to our success,” Simerly said. “DLA will meet its responsibilities to the joint force and federal partners by leading in innovation, digital interoperability and cutting-edge technology.”
By Beth Reece, Defense Logistics Agency