DLA Leaders tour Aviation HQ, learn about vital programs

Defense Logistics Agency Aviation leaders briefed DLA leadership during an April 15 visit to Defense Supply Center Richmond.

Army Lt. Gen. Mark T. Simerly, director, Defense Logistics Agency, and Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Alvin R. Dyer, senior enlisted leader, DLA, spent the day learning about some of the top priority projects and touring some facilities frequented by Aviation employees.

Simerly, who most recently served as the commanding general of the Combined Arms Support Command and Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, shared the primary values that resonate within his leadership strategy: trust, discipline and commitment.

"Trust is the lifeblood of our profession," he said. "We have to do everything to protect, build, sustain and extend trust between the leaders and the leaders in our formations in order for us to have an effective culture. We do that primarily through our actions, [by] ensuring that our actions match our aspirations, that our video matches our audio, if you will. We have to be leaders who are credible, reliable and competent in order to continue to build on that trust.

"Discipline is about holding ourselves accountable, holding others accountable to our standards [and] expectations," Simerly continued. "Positive leadership requires us to treat each other with dignity and respect. There is never a reason to treat each other with less than dignity and respect."

Although Simerly said he may be preaching to the choir, reinforcing dignity and respect is essential because it's a more effective leadership strategy. Work can be done urgently while disregarding those traits, but it's only effective on a short-term basis.

"Corrosive leadership behaviors undermine trust in the institution [and] in the leadership, and, in the end, inhibits our ability to perform over the long term," he said.

Committing oneself to teamwork and mastering one's craft is vital to DLA's mission of supporting the warfighter, said Simerly.

The visit started with an overview of Aviation's mission with directors and leaders across the Aviation footprint, including those from the off-site industrial support activities and other customer support facilities. During the discussion, Simerly referenced the transformation throughout the DOD and DLA.

"In many cases, we can aspire to change, but to achieve change, we have to have an organizational focus," he said. "To ensure we are changing the appropriate way, I think we have to not only think differently; we have to act differently, and we have to operate differently in this environment."

A significant impetus for the transformation is the challenge of overcoming contested logistics, and Simerly's approach is fourfold: people, precision, posture and partnerships. Within those themes, he said data literacy, accurate data reporting, and joint partnerships between other federal agencies, industrial base, allies and coalitions are important parts of transforming DLA.

After the orientation session, briefings about priority projects began alongside a walking tour of Aviation's RedBrick Fitness Center and the headquarters building. Denise Prince, division chief, Cables, Lighting, and Electrical Component Division within Supplier Operations Commodities; and Travis Wilson, branch chief, Business Case Analysis and Strategic Research within Business Process Support; briefed long-term contract execution. Simerly and his team also had a brown-bag luncheon with Aviation's military members in the cafeteria.

Other briefings included: Industrial Support Improvement, conducted by Chris Collins, deputy director, Customer Operations; Outsourced Obsolescence Sourcing Pilot, conducted by Chris Davis, director, Strategic Acquisition Programs; Operationalized Learning, conducted by Natarsha Goode, division chief, Procurement Training, Procurement Process Support directorate, and Shirley Quaye, division chief, Fixed Wing and Structural Components within the Supplier Operations Original Equipment Manufacturer directorate; and Weapon System Support Rick Mitigation - Parts Risk Integrated Sustainment Model, conducted by Jacob Kotula, a program manager within the Strategic Acquisitions Programs directorate. The DLA HQ team also received a windshield tour of DSCR by David Gibson, DSCR site director, DLA Installation Management.

Simerly said the visit was informative, and he shared his thoughts on the transformative way ahead.

"For you and every member of the team, you all are ambassadors of DLA, and we operate everywhere," he said. "We are operating by, with and alongside every service and many federal entities as well. Every opportunity we have to engage with a customer is an opportunity for us to bring back their perspective, their best practices and those things that will unify customers. I appreciate what you all are doing to focus on that customer feedback and turn that into action as we transform the agency."

When asked about his first impressions of DLA Aviation, Simerly said two things stood out to him.

"Number one is the commitment to excellence - it's very clear that it permeates the culture of Aviation," he said. "The second thing is a commitment to innovation. Finding new ways to do new things better. It's clear it's being promoted throughout the command, and the professionals at DLA Aviation are committed to excellence through innovation.

When asked to share a message with the Aviation workforce, Simerly didn't hesitate.

"They are making a difference, and we need each and every one of them to continue to stay focused on completing the mission to support our warfighters," he said.