Troop Support hosts DLA vice director for quarterly engagement visit

Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support hosted DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn for a Major Subordinate Command Quarterly Engagement meeting Sept. 4-5.

These quarterly touchpoints discussing the organization's Annual Operating Plan progress are in accordance with DLA's Strategic Plan. Troop Support leadership took a data-driven approach to situate the organization's progress towards the DLA Annual Operating Plan initiatives, explained DLA Troop Support Commander, Army Brig. Gen. Sean P. Kelly.

"I've challenged this team here," Kelly said. "Whether it's forecasting, or better understanding customer behavior, I think there are insights that live within the data that we have for [Bunn]."

Kelly explained the objectives and key results presented to Bunn help focus the major subordinate command's mission of precision in warfighter support.

"These multiple sources help us with the precision imperative for even better planning, or forecasting, but specifically become a better consultant to our customer." Kelly said.

Bunn addressed the collaborative nature of these quarterly visits and asked Troop Support leaders to focus on what assistance headquarters can provide.

"It is important we maintain this kind of rhythm with headquarters leaders that are here, or [DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly] while making these trips," said Bunn. "We cannot just provide oversight, that's not why I am here. I am here to understand what progress you've made, where you might be hitting some barriers, how we can help."

Bunn expressed appreciation of how objectives outlined by material supply chains nest within larger agency-wide plans.

"I see good representations in terms of the objectives that you're building and how you're thinking about key results that are aligned with where the agency is going." Bunn said. "We're a major part of setting the theater, setting the globe with respect to our classes of supply and other capabilities that we provide to combatant commands and the services."

Bunn said these visits help DLA leadership pivot agency priorities to meet current and future warfighter needs.

"These visits give us a better understanding of our end supply chains-recognizing and acknowledging the high performance we've had for many years and looking at it through the lens of what a future conflict might look like," Bunn said. "Ensuring we have a wartime footing with command control, but also how we resource our supply chains to ensure we're ready to move from competition to crisis, and that our capabilities are what we're expected to do as a combat support agency."