The Defense Logistics Agency Expands its Construction Role in Afghanistan

FORT BELVOIR, Va., Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Defense Logistics Agency is taking on new responsibilities in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan.

The Corps has long been involved with the construction of K-Span structures, which are large corrugated metal buildings used as temporary industrial facilities. But since October, DLA has been helping procure quality materials for the structures.

The buildings are the preferred choice of structures used for training Afghan National Police and Army officials, said Army Lt. Col. Carl Knotts, chief of plans, exercise and readiness branch in DLA's Joint Logistics Operations Center.

"One of the overarching components of counterinsurgency operations is to take the indigenous population and make it self-sufficient," he said. "In order to do that, since they don't have facilities out there to help the government maintain control, we have to build facilities for them."

K-Span buildings are similar to the type of metal construction that was widely used by the U.S. military during World War II. These arched metal buildings, sometimes called Quonset huts, fell out of popularity after the war, but various types are still in use.

Typically, the Army Corps of Engineers employs contractors to handle the acquisition, transportation, construction and quality control of the material for the K-Span structures, Knotts said.

According to Knotts, because of concerns about the quality of locally procured construction materials, the Army Corps of Engineers wanted to use government-furnished materials.

"What they've asked us to do is the procurement and the strategic distribution to the geographic region," he said.

Knotts noted the K-Span facilities are necessary for Afghan security.

"It's an integral component of counterinsurgency operations strategy, that is, you build government capacity so that you can withdraw the U.S. forces," Knotts said. "Then you create a positive U.S. partner. It's all linked to national strategy."

Knotts said that performing well in this effort will provide a basis for future business opportunities for DLA.

"From an agency perspective, it's an expansion into a business line that we generally didn't have a business presence of this magnitude," he said. "This is a chance for us to demonstrate that we can do this and do it well."

As the Department of Defense's combat logistics support agency, DLA provides the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies, and joint and allied forces with a variety of logistics, acquisition and technical services. The agency sources and provides nearly 100 percent of the consumable items America's military forces need to operate, from food, fuel and energy, to uniforms, medical supplies, and construction and barrier equipment. DLA also supplies more than 80 percent of the military's spare parts.

Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., DLA has about 27,000 employees worldwide and supports about 1,900 weapon systems. DLA's business revenues were nearly $41 billion in Fiscal Year 2010. For more information about DLA, go to www.dla.mil or www.facebook.com/dla.mil.

SOURCE Defense Logistics Agency