DLA is a federal agency in the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It supports the military by supplying them with supplies and equipment.
It also disposes of excess or unusable items for the government. DLA’s worldwide network of supplies, distribution assets, and contracting experts has a long history.
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is the largest Department of Defense logistics combat support agency. The Agency supports the military services worldwide and several civilian agencies, including foreign countries, in peacetime and wartime operations.
DLA provides the five military services with global supply chain management from raw materials to end-user disposition. It also serves the 11 combatant commands, federal agencies, and partner and allied nations.
In 2000, DLA underwent a reorganization that created four major business areas and set the stage for DLA to meet the needs of the 21st-century warfighter. This plan focused on organizational design, modernization of automated business systems, employment of strategic partnerships with industry, and the replenishment and development of a world-class workforce.
Since then, DLA has continually expanded its responsibilities and capabilities to support the warfighter. The reorganization led to the adoption of new technologies and procedures that have helped DLA revolutionize how the military buys, distributes, and contracts for products.
The Agency is a leading supplier of fuel, munitions, and supplies for military services. It also is responsible for the disposal of excess military property and supports disaster relief at home.
Today, DLA continues to build on its reputation for supplying the warfighter and fostering a whole-of-government approach to national security. A new DLA 2021-2026 Strategic Plan outlines five lines of effort to address current and future challenges, including building tailored logistics solutions that support military readiness and fostering a modernized defense industrial base.
The plan aligns DLA’s mission, goals, and objectives with proven human capital strategies. The Agency will strive to attract, develop and retain a diverse, skilled, and agile workforce. This plan will also help DLA maintain the flexibility needed to respond to future global contingencies.
What does the Defense Logistics Agency Do?
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) supports the military services and a number of civilian agencies with worldwide logistics support in both peacetime and wartime. DLA focuses on the procurement, storage, distribution, and disposal of supplies that are essential to military operations.
In addition, DLA manages contract administration for purchasing and distributing weapons systems and other materials, as well as providing a range of technical support services. DLA also supports redeployments and conducts battlefield cleanup, including the removal of equipment, debris, and other hazardous waste.
DLA is one of the largest agencies within the Department of Defense. It employs 23,000 people at its headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Since its establishment, DLA has been working to standardize, procure, and distribute DoD consumable items throughout the military services. This has eliminated unnecessary duplication and saved the Defense Department and its taxpayers money.
However, DLA does not manage all the commodities that the military services purchase. It is responsible for supplying eight commodity areas: fuel, food, clothing, construction material, electronics supplies, general supplies, industrial supplies, and medical supplies.
DLA is also responsible for managing a network of military depots, which store and distribute supplies to the services and other customers. This network is primarily located in the United States, but DLA also owns and operates supply depots abroad.
DLA is part of the Department of Defense (DoD) and provides worldwide logistics support for military services in peacetime and wartime. It supports the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, 11 combatant commands, other federal agencies, and foreign countries. DLA supplies the military with materials and equipment, fuel, repair parts, and other resources that they need to operate. It also disposes of excess military equipment and material.
The Agency administers the military’s stockpile of strategic and critical materials, operates in 48 states and 28 countries, processes 133,000 requisitions and contract actions daily, manages 25 distribution depots worldwide, and supports procurement for more than 1,700 weapon systems. It has been a major force in improving the way the Department of Defense procures and distributes materials.
In 1961, President Kennedy convened a committee to study alternatives for improving DOD-wide organization for integrated supply management. The report highlighted the principal weaknesses of the multiple-single-manager supply system and recommended establishing one single-manager supply agency for DoD material that could be managed and distributed on an integrated basis.
From that time forward, DLA has standardized and procured its inventory of consumables across the military services. It has developed procedures and systems to avoid duplication of effort, thereby saving both DoD and the taxpayer millions of dollars in excess procurement costs.
In 2000, the Agency launched a comprehensive reorganization to prepare for the 21st century and support the new DoD mission. The new plan outlined four major business areas: the Defense Logistics Support Command; the Defense Contract Management Command; Information Operations; and Financial Operations.
Who does DLA work for?
DLA provides worldwide logistics support to the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 10 combatant commands, and other federal agencies and foreign governments. They also support disaster relief efforts and respond to humanitarian needs.
The Agency’s headquarters is located at Fort Belvoir, VA. Throughout the world, DLA employs 26,000 people to serve our nation’s military.
As the largest logistics combat support agency, DLA supports a wide range of missions from peacetime to wartime. In addition, DLA is responsible for a variety of non-combat support functions such as property disposal, reutilization, donation, and scrap yard operation.
DLA has made a number of significant improvements in its operations to reduce costs and improve services. One example is the Defense Logistics Services Center (DLSC), which has implemented a credit card ordering system that saves customers time and money.
DLSC also has a team of international catalogers who have reinvented how they process National Stock Number (NSN) assignment transactions sent to them from NATO and other foreign government agencies. The team developed a direct data entry system that saves time, labor, and costs by removing the need to manually enter information.
Another improvement is the Automated Manifest System, or AMS, which uses an optical memory card that allows troops to identify supplies, prioritize offloading, and expedite receipt processing. This system saves DLA time and labor costs while reducing processing costs for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
The Agency also offers flexible work schedules and attractive benefits packages. If you are interested in a career with DLA, apply online today! We look forward to hearing from you. Be sure to check your USA Jobs account for notification updates!
Is DLA under the Army?
DLA supports the military services, including Army and Navy, in their combat missions by supplying supplies, equipment, and service parts. It also disposes of excess and unusable materials through various programs.
The Agency’s roots date back to World War II when America’s huge military buildup required the rapid procurement of vast amounts of munitions and supplies. After the war, a presidential commission recommended centralized management of common military logistics support and uniform financial management practices introduced.
In 1952, the Army and Navy combined their supply centers into a single organization and began buying, storing, and issuing items using a common nomenclature. This was the first step in eliminating managerial and stockage duplication and reducing overhead costs.
After 16 years of growth and expansion, on January 1, 1977, officials changed the name of the Defense Supply Agency to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). In the next decade, DLA continued its rapid evolution as an enterprise that provides worldwide logistics support.
During this time, DLA became involved in a number of large missions. For example, in 1988, DLA assumed the management of the nation’s stockpile of strategic materials from the General Services Administration.
Later, DLA was called upon to manage contingency operations overseas and help support relief efforts in the aftermath of natural disasters. For example, during Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey, DLA dispatched 45 embedded professionals to provide critical emergency assistance, such as 500 sets of cold-weather clothing, 44,000 feet of power cables, trash and hazardous materials removal, and dewatering and port restoration.
As a result of these missions, DLA now provides a wide range of logistics and supply-chain capabilities by applying industry best practices. These include effective and efficient global supply chain support, readiness and contingency operations support, and the disposition of excess and unusable materials.