The Defense Logistics Agency Support Continues in Haiti

FORT BELVOIR, Va., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Defense Logistics Agency employees continue working day and night to support humanitarian relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Air Force Col. Deirdre Mahon, a senior DLA logistics readiness officer, said teams from across the agency's supply chains are putting in long hours to provide supplies ranging from food to construction material for Haitians and for the military members involved in assisting them through Operation Unified Response.

"Within minutes of finding out that this earthquake had hit Haiti, we looked at what we called our 'first-to-go' list, which is a list of supplies that have been historically asked for during relief operations, including things like ready-to-eat meals, cots, blankets and lumber that we currently have in our warehouses," Mahon said.

Personnel across the agency continue to work with the Department of Defense, U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Southern Command to set priorities for support.

"We look at what's needed immediately, 24 hours from now and 48 hours from now so that DLA is postured to put our supply chains in motion to support those requirements," said Mahon, adding that this "battle rhythm" puts DLA in a proactive rather than reactive mode.

DLA employees are in Haiti on board the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, and others are working with the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, including members of DLA's Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office, who have also been on-site at U.S. Southern Command for nearly two weeks helping to establish a contracting office and evaluating contracting approaches.

The agency is working with contract vendors throughout the United States to supply 2.7 million ready-to-eat meals to the U.S. Agency for International Development. DLA has also met hundreds of requests for medical supplies, tents, blankets, and health and comfort packs, and is sourcing $93,000 of building material to support reconstruction of the Port-au-Prince pier.

Other support includes more than $74 million in supplies including sleeping bags, generators and medical supplies as well as 500 drums of diesel fuel and 250 drums of motor gasoline. The agency has also provided more than 68,000 maps and charts for U.S. forces operating in and around Haiti, and is prepared to provide such equipment as additional tie-down straps that are used to secure loads on aircraft and helicopters as they fly supplies into Haiti.

"This is a well-synchronized event. DLA has been doing this for a long time," Mahon said. Partnerships with key suppliers who can quickly provide commercially based products like food, lumber and repair parts enable the agency to meet emergency requirements and limit customer wait-time, she added.

As the Department of Defense's combat logistics 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. 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 about 84 percent of the military's spare parts. The agency has a history of providing assistance during humanitarian relief efforts in the United States and overseas.

DLA is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., and has 25,000 employees worldwide. DLA's business revenues were nearly $38 billion in Fiscal Year 2009. For more information about DLA, go to www.dla.mil.

SOURCE Defense Logistics Agency