Courtesy Photo | Army Col. Elizabeth Delbridge-Keough (left), commander of DLA Europe & Africa, works...... read more read more
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Army Col. Elizabeth Delbridge-Keough, commander of DLA Europe & Africa, was among the first military members to deploy to Liberia after President Barack Obama announced the deployment of U.S. service members for Operation United Assistance. She was also the first DLA representative there and helped pave the way for logistics support of the 4,000 troops expected to assist in the fight against Ebola in West Africa. Here, she describes the challenges and the work DLA is doing to pre-position supplies.
Q: How soon after President Obama announced the plan to send troops to West Africa did you deploy, and what were some of the first actions you took to initiate DLA’s support?
A: I was on a plane heading to Liberia for a leaders’ reconnaissance trip with U.S. Army Africa Commander Army Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams and his staff when the president made his announcement. It was supposed to be a two-day trip, but we ended up becoming the Defense Department’s advance party.
One of the first things I did was asses the contracting capacity in Liberia to determine whether there were local sources that could support the mission. That included initial meetings with vendors, construction companies and a bottled water plant. After realizing there was plenty of capacity, I brought in Michaella Olson, a contingency contract officer with DLA Logistics Operations’ Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office. She and I partnered with U.S. Africa Command on the local procurement initiative in Niger, so I knew Ms. Olson could initiate logistics support using the expeditionary contracting model.
Q: How did being on the ground in the early weeks of the operation shape DLA’s response?
A: It allowed DLA to be flexible and responsive. We’re such a big animal, and we’re usually not first into the theater. By being on the ground, I was able to help DLA by reaching back to DLA Europe & Africa, all of the primary-level field activities, and DLA Headquarters to aggressively set the theater and get the right stocks here before service members arrive. It was truly a ground-breaking and humbling experience to be a part of.
Q: What initial challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
A: The biggest challenge was realizing that we’re here to support the government of Liberia, and we’re working by, with and through the U.S. Agency for International Development Disaster Assistance Response Team in Liberia’s strategic plan and fight against Ebola. A lot of people like to say this is just like Iraq or Afghanistan, but this mission is very different. Setting up a land-use agreement with the government was a challenge, as well as getting access to ports. By meeting with port authorities and creating relationships with the U.S. Embassy, as well learning Liberia’s customs processes, I was able to help set the theater and bring in [rations]. Not having those relationships would have pushed our timeline back, and every day here counts.
Q: What experience did DLA Europe & Africa already have in places like Liberia, and how did that influence DLA’s ability to provide supplies?
A: Because of our partnership with USAFRICOM on the local procurement initiative, we already had a process in place for accurately assessing local contracting capacity and capability. So we knew we could contract aggressively to reduce the U.S. forces’ footprint in Liberia while saving U.S. taxpayer money.
Also, the PLFAs already had a big play on the continent of Africa, such as DLA Troop Support with the prime vendor program and DLA Energy with existing contracts for fuel. Having those contracts already in place has been critical and allowed the enterprise to be flexible and responsive for this mission. DLA Distribution has also done a tremendous job down here. It’s amazing to see what DLA is doing here.
Q: In what ways do you see DLA Europe & Africa contributing to the fight against Ebola in the future?
A: I think DLA is going to be on the ground for at least a year. We have a team from DLA Disposition Services coming in, so even after we transition the mission from DoD to a nongovernment or a Department of State and USAID mission, I believe we’ll still have some presence here in Liberia and of course throughout West Africa to continue supporting USAFRICOM. Africa is a critical place in the world today. We’ll continue to have a strategic mission here far into the future.
Q: Having been in Africa several times this year to promote local procurement with African businesses, how familiar were you with the spread of Ebola, and what concerns did you have regarding your own safety?
A: I was very familiar with Ebola and had been tracking it with USAFRICOM during weekly updates. As for my safety, there are many precautions being taken to keep us safe, and no U.S. service member, civilian or contractor is expected to be exposed to Ebola. In addition to understanding the disease and how it’s actually spread, I take my temperature numerous times a day and wash my hands with chlorine and a lot of hand sanitizer.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: The people of Liberia are very welcoming and eager to have us here. I’ve met many of the local Liberians who work at the U.S. Embassy, and one of them stands out in my mind. His wife is seven and a half months pregnant and started having difficulties about three weeks ago, but she can’t go to the hospital, because all of the hospitals are treating people with Ebola. Instead, they are keeping her at home and monitoring her. There are a lot of personal stories here, and there are tons of people from organizations like USAID and the World Health Organization trying to help. It’s nice to see that DLA has an impact and can make a difference.
I would also like to thank everybody on the DLA team for their tremendous amount of support to Operation United Assistance. The reason this mission is already a success is due to the flexible response and reach-back capability of the enterprise to set the theater with stocks in record times. Thanks for bringing the power of DLA to Liberia.
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2014 09:16 |
| Story ID: | 147021 |
| Location: | MONROVIA, LR |
| Web Views: | 154 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Q&A: First DLA employee to deploy describes Operation United Assistance, by Beth Reece, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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