DLA Information Operations sets up agency’s tech in West Africa

Courtesy Photo | Workers offload supplies from the Vega, a civilian cargo ship contracted by the Defense Logistics Agency to support the U.S. government effort to combat Ebola, at the Port of Buchanan, Liberia. DLA Information Operations technicians worked to set up satellite communications and Distribution Standard System capabilities before the Vega arrived with supplies Oct. 25.  

MONROVIA, LIBERIA

10.28.2014

Courtesy Story

Defense Logistics Agency   

MONROVIA, Liberia - As DLA provides food, fuel, medical supplies, hazardous waste removal and more for the U.S. effort to combat Ebola in West Africa, DLA Information Operations is providing the satellite communications and networking infrastructure that enables DLA's support.

“We’ve been working this for about two weeks to provide communications capability and the Distribution Standard System, or DSS, support for the warehouse operations,” said Eric Fegley, director of DLA Information Operations Stakeholder Plans and Operations, who is leading the directorate’s Operation United Assistance support efforts.

Three DLA Information Operations technicians have deployed to West Africa so far, Fegley said. Robert Padgett is in Dakar, Senegal, and Sebastian Gonzalez and John Simon are in Monrovia, Liberia. The techs first established satellite communication and DSS capability at the Port of Buchanan, Liberia, in preparation for the Vega’s arrival Oct. 24. The Vega is a DLA-contracted ship supporting the mission. Those capabilities will allow for accurate Enterprise Business System tracking of supplies coming off the ship, he said.

“We want to establish satellite communication and DSS so we can receive material into DSS when the ship arrives,” Fegley said. “We want to have visibility of those assets in DSS and EBS from the time they arrive in country.”

The DLA Information Operations technicians will also lay the information technology groundwork for a DLA Disposition Services site near the Port of Buchanan, then set up the Monrovia site with computers, printers, scanners and other IT requirements, Fegley said. They are also prepared to provide IT support at other sites, he said, and any future IT requirements as DLA expands its support. The three technicians are slated to provide in-country support for two to three months.

DLA Information Operations is also providing maps and other imaging products to Defense Department customers supporting OUA. DLA has provided 17,000 maps and imaging products so far , with about 10,000 of those produced on demand for customers in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea by DLA Document Services. The rest of those orders were filled from DLA inventory, said Stephen Sherman, DLA Document Services director.

"DLA Information Operations acts as a critical enabler for the rest of DLA as they provide support to Operation United Assistance," said Kathy Cutler, DLA chief information officer. "Our satellite communications capabilities link disparate organizations and allow for real-time coordination, and our IT systems like DSS ensure that DLA leaders know what supplies they have and where they are, so they can most effectively direct support to where it's needed.

Cutler said these capabilities play a large role in DLA’s support to the humanitarian assistance mission.

“Telecommunications, email, VTCs, satellite communications, IT systems and more – all part of the support we provide every day, here and abroad – help leaders throughout OUA successfully transport supplies and keep stakeholders informed, as well as manage personnel, inventory balances and contracting,” she said.

• Date Taken: 10.28.2014
• Date Posted: 10.29.2014 09:27
• Story ID: 146424
• Location: MONROVIA, LR