F-35: Logistics at the speed of Lightning II

Courtesy Photo | PORTRAIT Lt. Cmdr. Glenn Uy, Japan Foreign Military Sales In-Country Liaison Officer / Supply Chain Lead Customs Clearance Officer / Technology Security Support Team ACOR F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, Tokyo FMS Joint Program Office. The F-35 Joint Program Office is the Department of Defense's focal point for the 5th generation strike aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and our allies. The F-35 is the premier multi-mission, 5th generation weapon system. Its ability to collect, analyze and share data is a force multiplier that enhances all assets in the battle-space: with stealth technology, advanced sensors, weapons capacity, and range. The F-35, which has been operational since July of 2015, is the most lethal, survivable, and interoperable fighter aircraft ever built.  

ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES

05.26.2021

Story by F-35 Joint Program Office Digital Media 

F-35 Joint Program Office

CRYSTAL CITY, VA. (May 26, 2021) U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Glenn Uy believes the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (F-35 JPO) is a place where employees can do great things because their work serves a higher purpose. As the F-35 JPO's Japan Foreign Military Sales In-Country Liaison Officer in Tokyo, Japan, Uy wears many hats. He is the Supply Chain Lead, Customs Clearance Officer, and Assistant Contracting Officer Representative for the Technology Security Support Team. Uy credits a former job assignment in preparing him for the culture at the F-35 JPO.

“During my second deployment to Afghanistan in 2016, I wore multiple hats as the Branch Chief for the Contracting Enabler Cell. I developed extensive skills and experience in learning how to stay calm, focused, prioritize and deescalate situations, and find creative ways to make things work. The transferable experience from Afghanistan helped me become confident, more effective, and efficient in my current job as a Customs Clearance Officer," Uy said.

Uy's arrival to F-35 JPO came through a connection made while serving in Afghanistan. “I met a fellow service member who would later go on to serve at the F-35 Program Office. We remained in contact following this time, and he reached out later to say there was a great job at F-35, and I was interested in going there," said Uy.

Uy reported in May 2019 and quickly grew accustomed to traveling back and forth between Tokyo and Washington D.C., then the COVID-19 pandemic's onset locked him down in Japan.

“The initial lockdown and store closures was like a scene from the movie I Am Legend, but I had to go to work every day in person to fulfill our team’s part of the F-35 mission,” commented Uy.

Although physically separated from his teammates for over a year, Uy notes that it was a positive experience due to the supportive leadership of the Japan Foreign Military Sales team. "The leadership team facilitates open communication lines, encourages collaboration efforts, and exhibits a strong sense of commitment. Everyone on the team shares the same clear and important vision, serving the best interests of the F-35 organization as a whole, and is passionately dedicated to the mission,” said Uy, who made sure he is available to his team as much as possible even when hindered by the significant time difference.

Uy's job at the F-35 JPO requires him to be precise, meticulous, and patient. “Being an F-35 Supply Chain Officer and Customs Clearance Officer means I make sure the parts clear customs on time, and what the shippers declare on the customs form is indeed what they have described," said Uy. "A detailed review of their descriptions is required because as these parts clear customs, they are not opened and are not subject to customs inspection. Everything on the forms needs to be precise, the weight, the dimensions, signatures, and final destination of these parts."

The parts clearing customs in Japan are import and export shipments originating from and to global locations. The job entails problem-solving and requires excellent interpersonal skills, dealing with various shipping agents.

The materials in the shipments are essential to the assembly and maintenance of F-35s. "We have factories in Japan that assemble the F135 engines, we have the Nagoya Final Assembly and Check-Out facility that builds the F-35 itself, and we get parts coming in for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force," said Uy. "A costly work stoppage can happen if a part doesn't come in or it is delayed in customs. My position is essential to keeping the assembly lines flowing."

The challenges within his role exist because "the target usually moves," and the teams must be prepared to adopt new procedures.

“We have a new initiative with the Defense Logistics Agency and the U.S. Transportation Command, global asset management of parts will change and impact my role as the Customs Clearance Officer. This initiative will see the Transportation Management Officers take over some of the functions we carry out," said Uy. "To prep for that, we all participate in global asset management testing, or sending parts to different locations and guaranteeing that the process is followed with the right forms and correct clearances.”

Uy has no doubt that the people, the culture, and the mission purpose contribute to the uniqueness of the JPO – and being inclusive will only refine it. “When you have a wide array of talents, we learn from one another and raise each other to a higher standard, and that boosts retention. Sharing each other's cultures celebrates the diversity of thought, perspectives, and backgrounds,” said Uy. “It is like the recipe for a gourmet meal. A diversity of ingredients makes the final result even better than its individual parts."

• Date Taken: 05.26.2021
• Date Posted: 05.26.2021 11:17
• Story ID: 397447
• Location: ARLINGTON, VA, US
• Hometown: BENICIA, CA, US