According to Defense Logistics Agency Vice Director Brad Bunn, pre-positioning supplies and building a strong supply chain are critical to the success of logistics operations in contested environments.
During a panel discussion at the National Defense Industrial Association’s Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference in Washington, D.C., Bunn emphasized the pressing need to increase supply chain resilience and called for heavy collaboration with industry throughout the process, the Department of Defense said Friday.
Bunn highlighted DLA efforts to embrace artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing methods and research and development to strengthen and scale logistics capabilities. The agency, he said, is running a “moderate research and development program” to address supply chain gaps and security threats.
“Most of that started with working with industry partners and R&D organizations to help buy down some risk of obsolescence for legacy weapons systems where we saw commercial capabilities wane and where we had to bring to bear some resources to buy down that risk in things like microelectronics,” Bunn said.
The agency has also prioritized addressing cyberattacks, which present a growing threat to logistics operations, as part of its supply chain security strategy. The significance of cybersecurity risks was demonstrated by the Colonial Pipeline attack, which pushed the DLA to consider how it could transport fuel to the east coast using other methods.
Described by Bunn as a DLA “superpower,” the Defense Working Capital Fund is another aspect of the DLA’s strategy. This revolving fund, he said, is used to cover the agency’s operating costs beyond the annual budgeting process using sales.
Bunn noted the strong partnerships it has formed within the defense industrial base as a key component of the agency’s success.
“It’s really about building those relationships with industry, putting those contracts in place and supplying our customers – the military service warfighters – with those common items of supply and some not-so-common items,” he said, adding that partnerships with the U.S. Transportation Command and international agreements have also helped the agency progress its mission.
Want to learn more about how the DOD is gearing up to tackle the challenges of the contested logistics era? Join leaders from both government and industry at the Potomac Officers Club’s Preparing for the Contested Logics Era Forum on September 14, where speakers and expert panelists will come together to consider how the United States can stay on top in contested logistics. To learn more and register to attend the event, click here.
