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ARLINGTON, Va. -- Training and readiness provided the focal point for this year’s Defense Logistics Agency Joint Reserve Force Leadership Conference, reminding DLA reservists that they must be ready to deploy and ushering in a new initiative to facilitate the process.
The annual weekend conference was held, Aug. 14-15, at DLA Headquarters, attended by about 110 representatives from DLA field activities that include a reserve component – Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps – as a forum for the director of DLA’s Joint Reserve Force, Navy Rear Adm. Raymond English.
“The purpose of the conference is to enhance our ability to mobilize and deploy people in support of DLA,” said Navy Lt. Cdr. Onofrio Margioni, director of training for the JRF and the conference planner. “It’s also an effort to bring everyone together to meet new people, share new information, and receive guidance and instruction from the JRF senior leadership.”
The primary focus of the conference was the implementation of a new training and readiness initiative designed to increase mobilization readiness in the JRF.
Center of Excellence at DLA Distribution, in New Cumberland, Pa., is assisting the Headquarters JRF in implementing best practices for training and readiness across the force to establish consistent, cost-effective, standard operating processes throughout DLA reserve field activities. With the program scheduled to be implemented across the JRF in October, “the training initiative was the marquee subject for the weekend,” Margioni said.
English zeroed in with his opening remarks, Aug. 14. “This conference is all about the Center of Excellence for Readiness and Training,” he said.
He likened the program to a building, and the COE team to its architects.
“I’m really excited about moving into this house. Is it perfect? No. It’s a work in progress; but it’s a great opportunity to formalize training and readiness across the DLA JRF. Every reservist will have an [individual training plan] to monitor and track his or her accomplishments.”
Metrics will be developed to measure the success of the ITPs, he said. “We’ll use that information to allocate training dollars for required courses as we prepare ourselves for mobilization.”
The admiral also outlined his expectations.
“We exist as reservists in DLA to answer the call to be mobilized and deploy overseas,” he said. “Our weekend work – operational support – is great. It’s part of our stewardship to help the agency do more with less, but it doesn’t justify any reserve billet. We’re operationalized. Mobilization is the rationale behind every billet” in the JRF.”
Fifty to 60 percent of deployed DLA personnel are reservists, English said.
“DLA depends on us to be mobilization-ready. The training and readiness program is our way ahead to answer that call,” he said.
Much of the weekend focused on that initiative. Members of the COE staff discussed the implementation process, and each reserve field activity offered a progress report. The COE staff welcomed questions, as many of the field activities are experiencing the same challenges as the new program approaches the starting line.
As he did last year, DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson addressed the conference, thanking the reservists for their commitment.
“You’ve taken active duty and reserve integration to the highest level,” he said. “The JRF is a critical enabler for DLA to perform its mission. Your dedication and enthusiasm have enhanced the reputation of ‘Big DLA’ globally.”
The responsible drawdown in Iraq is “a significant undertaking, the largest drawdown since the Korean War. It has been enormously successful, and that has been driven largely by the JRF,” he said.
Thompson also encouraged attendees to be active participants in the weekend’s event.
Those attending took his challenge to heart. Between Saturday morning’s “We are DLA” briefing about cultural and organizational name changes within DLA and Sunday afternoon’s wrap-up session on the COE training initiative, participants listened, learned and spoke up – asking questions and exchanging ideas.
Each field activity offered a report card on its readiness statistics. Other presentations included a look at the joint-service accreditation process, an overview of DLA support missions in Africa and Europe, and a preview of the 2011 Joint Reserve Training and Readiness Exercise to be held at Fort Eustis, Va. Thompson’s senior enlisted advisor, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Otis Cuffee, also addressed the group, offering his perspective.
In addition to the scheduled briefings, English presented nine DLA reservists with personal recognition, including medals of commendation and achievement and certificates of appreciation.
The JRFLC, the JRF’s biggest strategic exercise of the year, is built upon the framework of previous efforts and improved, Margioni said. Participants were enthusiastic in their assessment of the 2010 edition.
“The conference is good in respect to the COE initiative for training and readiness,” Army Reserve Maj. Todd Thomson, training officer for DLA Energy, said.
He said he’s been involved in the process for a year, and “it’s good to finally implement it. Soldiers like seeing the individual training plans. They’re happy – they know what they have to do. It’s so easy to get lost in the system. The ITP gives them direction.”
Marine Corps Reserve Lt. Col. Don Markward, of DLA Aviation, said he found the conference invigorating for different reasons. Having just returned from deployment to Afghanistan, he said, “I’m getting reacquainted with DLA.” The conference is “a good place to get the bigger perspective, see what’s changed and what’s coming,” he said.
Navy Reserve Lt. Sarah Stevens, operations and training officer for Distribution Operations Team-Atlanta, attended for the first time.
“It’s eye-opening,” she said. “I didn’t realize how big DLA was. [The conference offered] a lot of good information. We could have used an extra day.”
Air Force Reserve Col. Mike Wilk, acting joint team leader for DLA Troop Support, in Philadelphia, said he particularly appreciated the participation of Thompson and English.
“You gotta see the senior leadership, listen to them,” Wilk said. “You don’t get that perspective from an e-mail.”
He said he also liked the camaraderie. “It’s always good when the joint reserve team comes together to share ideas, common issues and challenges,” he said. “It lets us know we’re not alone. We’re in this together.”
English presided at every session both days of the conference.
“You all are doing fantastic work,” he said in his closing remarks. “Will the need for our reserve support be diminishing anytime soon? I don’t think so. Logistics is the first into the fray and the last out. But we can do all that.”
English said he considered the conference a complete success. “We’re taking ‘We are DLA’ to heart,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2010 17:27 |
| Story ID: | 54733 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, DLA’s Joint Reserve Force hosts leadership conference, by Joan Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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