Defense Logistics Agency to Enhance Industry Engagement.

• Author: Harper, Jon

Faced with the need to meet growing demand for the products and services it provides, the Defense Logistics Agency plans to strengthen its ties with industry.

DLA is tasked with managing a massive global supply chain for the U.S. military and other agencies. Last year alone, it provided more than $30 billion worth of goods and services to warfighters, including repair parts, clothing and consumables such as fuel and food. It oversees nine supply chains and supports more than 2,300 weapon systems.

Over the past six to eight months, there has been "an increasing demand that we're seeing within DoD... across all the different commodities that we support," said Michael Scott, deputy director of logistics operations, in an interview with National Defense.

He attributed the uptick to the push for enhanced military readiness that is being spearheaded by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and other Pentagon leaders.

While most of the supply chain is running smoothly, "there's always somewhere our source is having difficulties or we're having trouble finding a source, or [intellectual property] has been sold to another party and we don't know who that is," said Michael Beebe, DLA's director of acquisition.

To deal with some of the procurement challenges it's facing, the agency plans to publish a new industry engagement plan in March.

Beebe declined to delve into the specifics of the plan prior to its finalization and publication, but he previewed some of its key themes.

It recognizes the value of enhancing existing relationships with industry, he said. "Communication and interaction is a central part of it," he said. "A lot of it is going to recognize the value of their feedback and... the fact that we need to understand that feedback and adapt as appropriate, which I wouldn't say that we have historically been particularly good at."

Additionally, the plan will include a push to look for new business partners that might not already be on the agency's radar. It will also address the need for DLA and industry to work together as partners to mitigate the risks that threaten the supply chain and military readiness, he noted.

As part of this effort, the agency seeks to improve its "market intelligence" to have a better picture of the vendor landscape. Rather than waiting until problems emerge, DLA officials want to know ahead of time where capabilities reside, how the commercial market is responding to demands and adjusting their manufacturing patterns...