Courtesy Photo | NAVSUP WSS hosted Heidi Grant, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency,...... read more read more
Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) hosted Defense Security Cooperation Agency director Heidi Grant, April 20, at the Joint Consolidation Point in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Grant met with NAVSUP WSS's Vice Commander Lynn Kohl, Deputy Commander for Ships and Subs Capt. David Carnal, Logistics Projects Office Director Scott Aughenbaugh and others before touring the JCP, which operates as the primary consolidation and transportation activity for Building Partner Capacity efforts with foreign nations to improve their ability to achieve security-oriented goals they share with the United States.
As the director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, Grant is responsible for Department of Defense security cooperation programs and activities involving the provision of defense articles, military training, and other defense-related services by grant, loan, cash sale, or lease.
The JCP acts as a staging and consolidation point between those supplying the material and the partner nations to whom the U.S. is sending the material, which can vary between construction supplies, electronics, vehicles, soldier gear and more. This involves doing everything needed to get these supplies to the right destinations quickly and safely like sorting, storage and organizing transportation and delivery.
Addressing a group of NAVSUP WSS employees, Grant noted that everyone involved in the program is serving as a de facto ambassador while making a significant impact on behalf of partner nations and U.S. international security interests.
“We’ve been going around to all the different parts of our operation, and this is something you can’t fully understand on paper or in briefings,” Grant said following the tour. “You are making a real-life impact, so thanks for what you do.”
“Everyone involved in this effort is representing our nation’s values to our international partners,” Grant continued. Whether it’s getting supplies to their destination on time or working with customs to meet even the strictest requirements, the effort requires adherence to core values like integrity and respect for our partner nations. Grant cited the use of color-coded stickers to help distinguish items in complex deliveries as one effort above and beyond what is required.
“Sometimes the folks receiving these order can’t speak English well enough to read these documents,” Aughenbaugh explained, pointing to the complex paperwork that accompanies many deliveries. “So something as simple as including stickers and photographs can serve as a shortcut by reducing sorting time. This gets the supplies in the hands of the end users more quickly, which is the mission in a nutshell,” he said.
The visit served to provide the DCSA director and her staff with a greater understanding of their operations, not only for informational purposes, but also for action. Occasionally, the team encounters problems or delays that can be better addressed at higher levels. For example, international customs requirements can vary greatly between countries, which adds to the time needed to process shipments to certain partner nations. While neither organization has the authority to negotiate or alter these requirements, Grant said she is in a position and eager to elevate problems as they are found.
“I really see that my most important role is to do the best I can to understand problems, translate, package and communicate that message to the big Washington, D.C., bureaucracy and see what I can do improve things for you all here,” Grant said.
NAVSUP WSS is one of 11 commands under Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel, NAVSUP's mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsupwss and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2021 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 394996 |
| Location: | MECHANICSBURG, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 577 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVSUP WSS Hosts DSCA Director at Joint Consolidation Point Mechanicsburg, by Matthew Jones, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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