Defence Logistics Content Center

Congressman Randy Forbes thinks the debate in Washington over defense spending needs to change. Everyone has been asking how much we want to spend and what we can afford to spend, but he wonders why no one in government has been asking, “What’s the risk to the American people if we don’t supply these resources?”

In the below podcast, Congressman Forbes says that conversation has to shift and should instead ask four questions:

1.What’s the threat assessment for the US both now and in the foreseeable future?
2.What do our combat commanders need to successfully perform the missions necessary to defend this country from those threats?
3.How do we get those resources in the most efficient means possible?
4.What can we afford and what risk do we assume if we don’t supply resources?

Listen to this podcast to hear Mr. Forbes’ solutions for how we can push more defense support through to legislation, how to find a balance between government and outside contractors, and why we need to be mindful of the Chinese military amid the cuts proposed to our own nation’s force.

Looking toward the future of joint force design in the U.S. defense industry, Brigadier General Robert Yates says that interaction and inter-agency development will continue to be top priority, along with tackling the “tyranny of distance.” “We need to maintain the capability to project and sustain military power over global distances,” said General Yates, Director for Operations, Plans, Logistics and Engineering for the U.S. Joint Forces Command. In the below podcast, he talks about enabling logistics capabilities overseas, key developments in the JOE, and touches on elements of the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations.

DLA Aviation is focusing on demand planning and reliable delivery performance as it moves from a tactical to a strategic way of thinking in all its process areas, specifically buying. Rear Admiral Vincent L. Griffith, Commander of DLA Aviation, is implementing a process called Discipline Production Control which focuses on improving the relationship between a buyer and his/her supervisor, resulting in the ability for the organization to buy more efficiently. Here, he talks about DLA Aviation’s focus areas and upcoming initiatives and how it is working toward better forecasting.

As Major General Gary T. McCoy, Commander for the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center stated, “our airplanes are getting old,” and the U.S. Air Force is having to tackle the challenge of maintaining them with a limited budget that’s continuing to be squeezed. “It’s like an old car – you have to search around the globe for parts, and that’s what we’re doing now,” said General McCoy. During the below interview he talks about how he and his team are tackling those challenges, and identifies a few great successes he’s had in strategizing with contractors, all of whom he considers integral partners to his missions. As he spoke to WBR, colleagues and industry leaders were en route for a three-day strategy meeting on how the organization can become a smarter spender and better forecaster.

In dealing with PBL’s, contract length is key, as is information sharing, collaboration and transparency of information. Betsy Warren, Director, Product Support, BAE Systems and Glen Locklear, Senior Manager, Air Force Programs, The Boeing Company, discuss successful elements of PBL, challenges in evolving their development and implementation and whether the Air Force is confident yet in tying up funding for PBL’s in the below interview. Both agree that having information in real-time is something customers are looking for, and that PBL is one approach to supply chain – it has the possibility of being an end-to-end solution, but how it fits in to an overall supply chain depends. The two companies are trying to learn from the best of PBL and bring those elements into the supply chain.

The Defense Logistics Agency is focusing on supporting small businesses, “the engine of the American economy,” as Vice Admiral Alan S. Thompson calls them in the below podcast. The support of small businesses is just one of the many efforts the DLA is making toward improving its strategic partnerships across industry and reducing overall costs. The organization is aiming for a 10 percent price reduction for select items purchased across industry, says Admiral Thompson. Supporting more than 1,700 weapon systems, managing eight supply chains with four million items and operating in 28 different countries, the DLA must continue to focus on these partnerships to better aid the war fighter and serve the U.S. Military.