Photo By Chief Petty Officer America Henry | CRYSTAL CITY, VA. (Apr. 27, 2022) – Ms. Leslie “Lexi” Reed, the F-35A Assistant...... read more read more
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The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) recognizes Ms. Leslie "Lexi" Reed, a logistician and the F-35A Assistant Program Manager for Logistics (APML). May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It is an excellent opportunity to tell her story of contribution to the legacy of the Asian American community as they continue to strengthen and unite the United States.
She is proud of the JPO's diverse workforce, strengthened by the cultural differences of international partners and a foreign military sales customer base that she supports through logistics management for the F-35A.
"With many people from varied backgrounds here, it's important to work as a cohesive workforce that is proud of its differences. I think it makes us more effective. By opening up a dialogue with others, we can understand that we don't see things from the same lens. This allows us to improve how we work as a team to deliver for the warfighter," said Reed.
Reed's father was in the U.S. Air Force, and she grew up living on bases worldwide. Reed's mother is from Taiwan, and her father is from the United States. After graduating high school, she attended Penn State University before joining the U.S. Air Force. During her four-year enlistment, Reed worked in the supporting system of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"Then, I became a maintenance team chief," Reed said of her career progression. "And like the F-35, availability and readiness were a priority. So if a missile went down, that got reported up to the highest levels of government," she added.
When Reed left the Air Force, she continued her college education and then had plans to seek a commission and rejoin the Air Force as an officer. However, after starting a job at Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons System Support in tech data management and acquisition, she had to make a decision.
"I came to a crossroads of whether to continue as an airman or advance my career in government. I chose to continue in government," she said.
That decision allowed Reed to begin her journey to the F-35 program as a dedicated civilian. Following her discharge from active duty. Reed worked a series of differing assignments—including a fellowship with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment—that she credits with helping her be best qualified for work at the JPO.
"At my defense fellowship, I saw things from a broader department perspective. I viewed issues spanning the services and other defense agencies from a policy perspective. In addition, I understood how things were being done from the acquisition standpoint, which really opened my eyes," Reed explained. "My career growth thus far has helped me each day with the F-35. Each position that I had led to another piece of the puzzle."
The F-35A APML position is the fourth job Reed has held since she arrived at the program in 2013. She and her team provide dedicated logistics support for the F-35A variant and manage requirements for life cycle logistics. Additionally, the team handles final release authority for time compliance technical directives, deployment support, aircraft on ground major mishap repair, and the solving of logistics issues.
"What we do is not transactional. I like that we have to apply critical thinking to solve it ourselves or coordinate with the program management offices for their expertise," said Reed. "It's exciting that you never really know what you will do any given day with the F-35. The program challenges me from a sustainment perspective."
Notably, she helped stand up Misawa Air Base's first F-35 squadron as the lead logistician for Japan's F-35 foreign military sales program. In Japan, the task was to provide sufficient logistics capabilities to support the F-35s in the Indo-Pacific. The team had to plan for spares, support equipment, warehousing, the operations building, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), interim contractor support, the integrated training center, and the training devices.
"When the aircraft began arriving at Misawa Air Base, I thought about what we just provided to that customer and that region of the world to maintain security. It's huge—it's historical," said Reed. "I was incredibly humbled and proud to be a part of it."
This Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Reed will think about her fond memories of growing up on Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. She appreciates her childhood for allowing her to see the importance of embracing others from different cultures.
"I have fond memories of the AAPI month celebrations. Everyone would bring food from their country, dress in traditional clothing, and perform dances," described Reed. "We had such a blast. I loved watching the dances and eating the food!"
Reed said reflections also focus on her mother's journey to the United States, as well as the journey of other Asians and Pacific Islanders, like that of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in May of 1843 and the Chinese pioneers who completed North America's transcontinental railroad in the late 1860s.
Reed recognizes the JPO's complexities that encourage her to work hard each day to advance the F-35 mission.
"I'm part of a meaningful mission that is critical to national security," she said. "I am proud to be part of this fifth-generation platform that provides a warfighting capability that cannot be matched. And I work to help sustain it worldwide."
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2022 14:49 |
| Story ID: | 421089 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,282 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, F-35 Logistician Proudly Solves Sustainment Obligations Every Day, by Diana Devaney, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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