The Defense Logistics Agency Supports The U.S. Military And Its Allies

Fort Belvoir, VA /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - The Defense Logistics Agency provides food, fuel, medical supplies, and spare parts to America's warfighters. But the agency also supports America's allies.

By working with its allies, DLA is helping the United States strengthen its defense against potential threats. This partnership makes it easier and safer for U.S. troops and allies in a joint environment to do their jobs.

In the past several months, Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson, DLA director, has met with leadership from multiple nations in an effort to strengthen the working partnerships critical to the logistical support for our warfighters.

"All of us in the logistics realm have a critical role in working together to increase our collective ability to meet the needs of warfighters," said Thompson.

Thompson recently met with Peteris Ustubs, the Latvian state secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Latvia is a key port for the Northern Distribution Network, which provides an alternate route to move items and supplies to troops in Afghanistan. The Northern Distribution Network is a partnership between DLA, U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Central Command, and the partnership has resulted in expanded use of this second supply route into Afghanistan.

DLA is working with the U.S. Navy to see if they can help Saudi Arabia's military. A senior military official from the Royal Saudi Navy recently visited DLA. DLA leaders have been providing logistics support since the Royal Saudi Navy is replacing its naval fleet and improving its own logistics capabilities, including Information Technology systems.

Some of the other allies who have visited DLA this year include those from South Korea and Afghanistan.

The agency continues supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. DLA has a team in Taji, Iraq, at a national maintenance depot working with the U.S. Army to support equipment given to Iraqi security forces. DLA is also working with the Iraqis to establish a distribution warehousing system for depot maintenance so that Iraqi military personnel can conduct maintenance on the 11,000 Humvees donated by the U.S. Army to the country.

In addition, DLA supports America's allies through its Foreign Military Sales Program. Through FMS, allies can buy items including vehicles, aircraft parts, and uniforms. DLA's foreign military sales reached $2 billion last year.

The FMS program fosters stronger relationships with other militaries. It allows the U.S. and allies to use similar technology when deployed to areas together making it easier to communicate and work together. The Foreign Military Sales Program also helps U.S. allies maintain mission readiness.

"How else would we foster partnerships and coalitions? The fact is, we don't go to war alone," said Linda Kimberlin, who helps oversee DLA's portion of the Foreign Military Sales Program.

Kimberlin said that about 80 foreign governments order through the program, but more than 150 have been approved to do so. For example, the Canadian Air Force has bought spare parts for the C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III.

"Foreign customers may order any item in our supply chains unless they're restricted, meaning there's new technology involved or the nation is not authorized to buy it," Kimberlin said. "Pretty much anything a Department of Defense user purchases from DLA can be ordered by our Foreign Military Sales customers."

Through the Foreign Military Sales Program, each allied government is responsible for the total cost of the item, and DLA will ship the parts overseas. Each purchase is done by a government-to-government agreement. Allied customers cannot dispose of property or transfer it to another nation without approval.

DLA's Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service also sells surplus items through the Foreign Military Sales Program. Some of the surplus items offered by DRMS include machine tools and clothes.

As the Department of Defense's logistics combat support agency, DLA is responsible for providing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies, and joint and allied forces with a variety of logistics, acquisition and technical services. These services include procuring and distributing nearly five million items such as rations, medical supplies and equipment, clothing and textiles, repair parts for land, sea and air weapons systems and platforms, fuel and energy services.

DLA, which is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., employs 24,000 civilian and military personnel. For more information about DLA, go to www.dla.mil.

SOURCE Defense Logistics Agency