WEBVTT 00:08.989 --> 00:11.609 It caught us off guard . A global 00:11.619 --> 00:14.000 pandemic of a scale not seen in a 00:14.010 --> 00:17.819 century . It affected everyone 00:18.020 --> 00:20.187 and every part of government needed to 00:20.187 --> 00:24.020 react . The defense logistics agency 00:24.030 --> 00:26.780 played a key role on many fronts for 00:26.790 --> 00:29.120 its unique capabilities and crisis 00:29.129 --> 00:33.090 management experience . This is how 00:33.099 --> 00:36.270 DL A stepped up to serve our forces , 00:36.459 --> 00:38.430 our nation and the world . 00:57.080 --> 01:00.720 January 31st , DL A analytics tracked 01:00.729 --> 01:03.439 initial alerts from global resources . 01:03.830 --> 01:06.250 So early on , there was a report during 01:06.260 --> 01:08.371 our daily operations brief that there 01:08.371 --> 01:12.089 was an outbreak of a virus in 01:12.099 --> 01:12.769 China . 01:15.809 --> 01:18.169 We were in the infancy of understanding 01:18.180 --> 01:20.790 how the virus attacked the body , but 01:20.800 --> 01:23.110 we needed to prepare for it . There was 01:23.120 --> 01:25.287 a realization that 85% of the material 01:25.287 --> 01:27.342 that our country needed was actually 01:27.342 --> 01:29.629 made offshore . And so we quickly set 01:29.639 --> 01:31.680 about coordinating with the medical 01:31.690 --> 01:33.468 distributors , with the medical 01:33.468 --> 01:35.634 industrial base to understand what the 01:35.634 --> 01:37.579 nation could make domestically and 01:37.579 --> 01:39.746 where we were going to have to find it 01:39.746 --> 01:39.279 to meet our shortfalls . 01:45.910 --> 01:48.849 Well , before the virus hit our shores , 01:48.860 --> 01:52.449 DL was busy in the Pacific . So in 01:52.459 --> 01:56.410 February of 20 Korea really was 01:56.419 --> 01:59.400 the center of gravity for COVID we 01:59.410 --> 02:02.459 worked with troop support to move the P 02:02.470 --> 02:05.680 pe that was on hand to those forces in 02:05.690 --> 02:09.149 Korea . As the virus spread across the 02:09.160 --> 02:13.000 end . A R we were in full mode . After 02:13.009 --> 02:15.240 that , we had to go and continue that 02:15.250 --> 02:18.380 support to you . A and until it hit 02:18.389 --> 02:21.679 here in the Homeland March 13th , 02:21.690 --> 02:24.220 COVID-19 was declared a national 02:24.229 --> 02:27.529 emergency by the president . The US 02:27.539 --> 02:31.000 military needed P pe by the millions , 02:33.360 --> 02:36.089 more than 30 do personnel were now 02:36.100 --> 02:38.322 being positioned within the White House 02:38.322 --> 02:40.156 task force , critical government 02:40.160 --> 02:43.309 agencies and military commands . When 02:43.320 --> 02:45.789 the president announced as a pandemic , 02:45.800 --> 02:47.970 we started using that same model of 02:47.979 --> 02:51.695 embedding with our partners to where 02:51.705 --> 02:54.975 could we embed personnel to help those 02:54.985 --> 02:58.095 agencies as they started taking more 02:58.104 --> 02:59.937 immediate actions to combat this 02:59.937 --> 03:01.993 pandemic . And so instead of another 03:01.993 --> 03:04.104 government agency trying to figure it 03:04.104 --> 03:06.271 out on their own , now , you have that 03:06.271 --> 03:08.215 subject matter of expertise that's 03:08.215 --> 03:10.382 embedded that they can just rely on to 03:10.382 --> 03:12.604 provide solutions and minimize the time 03:12.604 --> 03:14.949 that's needed to execute as the demand 03:14.960 --> 03:17.190 for medical materials exploded . 03:17.199 --> 03:20.020 Government agencies gravitated to DL 03:20.029 --> 03:23.520 A's strengths and speed . I view DL A 03:23.529 --> 03:26.259 as an acquisition machine . We have an 03:26.270 --> 03:28.437 enormous amount of contracts out there 03:28.437 --> 03:30.492 that support a whole wide variety of 03:30.492 --> 03:33.470 products and services . We have many 03:33.479 --> 03:35.389 thousands of contract managers , 03:35.399 --> 03:37.510 contract specialists and acquisitions 03:37.510 --> 03:39.510 professionals . So when you go to a 03:39.510 --> 03:43.089 place like fema , they had 40 40 , we 03:43.100 --> 03:45.559 were getting orders for fema for health 03:45.570 --> 03:48.009 and human services occasionally . Uh 03:48.020 --> 03:52.009 But that really exploded once March 03:52.020 --> 03:54.240 2020 happened , that's when we got a 03:54.250 --> 03:56.899 significant , significant influx of 03:56.910 --> 03:58.854 orders and requirements from those 03:58.854 --> 04:00.854 agencies who were unable to procure 04:00.854 --> 04:02.910 that equipment in a timely fashion . 04:03.009 --> 04:03.800 When we were 04:07.850 --> 04:09.929 eight supply chains have always 04:09.940 --> 04:12.779 fulfilled . Do D and government agency 04:12.789 --> 04:15.490 needs this time . However , fierce 04:15.500 --> 04:18.049 competition for supplies required a 04:18.059 --> 04:21.339 change in tactics . We have the medical 04:21.350 --> 04:23.461 prime vendors that we start to tap in 04:23.461 --> 04:25.980 to immediately . But uh I mean , 04:25.989 --> 04:29.850 quickly demand outpaced um supply 04:29.859 --> 04:32.130 and we had to had to look elsewhere . 04:32.140 --> 04:35.649 It was key for us to pivot and tap into 04:35.660 --> 04:38.049 the DL A global distribution network 04:38.059 --> 04:40.170 which allowed us to bring material in 04:40.170 --> 04:41.839 separately from our normal uh 04:41.850 --> 04:44.220 commercial vendors and allowed us to 04:44.230 --> 04:47.450 prioritize and control the material 04:47.459 --> 04:49.790 needed to support our whole government 04:49.799 --> 04:51.679 and our DD forces . There was a 04:51.690 --> 04:53.959 realization early on that there's no 04:53.970 --> 04:56.959 need to have other agencies compete 04:56.970 --> 04:59.630 against each other for the same items 04:59.640 --> 05:02.130 from the same sources . HHS . Your 05:02.140 --> 05:04.196 expertise is to define the technical 05:04.196 --> 05:07.100 requirements . DL A your job is to 05:07.109 --> 05:10.109 procure those and deliver them 05:14.679 --> 05:17.390 provided essential medical supplies and 05:17.399 --> 05:19.899 fuel to hospital ships and routes to 05:19.910 --> 05:22.630 New York City and Los Angeles at 05:22.649 --> 05:24.760 Norfolk , we were able to support the 05:24.760 --> 05:26.820 US NS comfort as they took that ship 05:26.829 --> 05:29.470 from 250 patients to 1000 patients as 05:29.480 --> 05:31.480 the ship was rolling up to New York 05:31.480 --> 05:33.591 City to support the pandemic where we 05:33.591 --> 05:35.813 did the exact same thing at the port of 05:35.813 --> 05:37.980 Los Angeles as our folks down from San 05:37.980 --> 05:40.091 Diego went up and supported the US Ns 05:40.091 --> 05:42.363 Mercy . So we're talking n95 respirator 05:42.372 --> 05:44.852 masks . We're talking gloves , uh night 05:44.863 --> 05:47.085 trial and vitriol rubber gloves . We're 05:47.085 --> 05:49.363 talking uh booties to cover your shoes . 05:49.363 --> 05:51.530 We're talking gowns as essentially any 05:51.530 --> 05:53.641 place that you can think of where you 05:53.641 --> 05:55.863 would need to be protected as a medical 05:55.863 --> 05:57.974 professional . Those are the types of 05:57.974 --> 05:59.807 equipment that we were asked for 05:59.807 --> 06:01.530 immediately . The prime vendor 06:01.530 --> 06:03.752 contracts were enormously effective for 06:03.752 --> 06:05.807 us . We had many agreements in place 06:05.807 --> 06:08.030 that we were able to place these orders 06:08.030 --> 06:09.863 immediately and have our vendors 06:09.863 --> 06:12.030 deliver timely uh with pricing already 06:12.030 --> 06:14.196 in place . It was , it just turned out 06:14.196 --> 06:16.363 to be a very effective tool . Early on 06:16.363 --> 06:18.419 the working capital fund and the war 06:18.419 --> 06:20.769 stopper program were invaluable . Do d 06:20.920 --> 06:23.540 strategic tools to expedite DS 06:23.640 --> 06:26.059 responses . The beauty of the working 06:26.070 --> 06:27.880 capital fund , right ? Unlike 06:27.890 --> 06:29.940 appropriated funding gives us the 06:29.950 --> 06:33.829 flexibility to go 06:33.839 --> 06:37.279 out and procure supplies 06:37.950 --> 06:41.559 ahead of a specific demand or order 06:41.570 --> 06:44.320 because we have that revolving fund all 06:44.329 --> 06:46.551 the time . We're able to go out and buy 06:46.551 --> 06:48.559 things as needed versus having to 06:48.579 --> 06:50.746 necessarily wait . And this allowed us 06:50.746 --> 06:52.690 to , to beat down that that time , 06:52.690 --> 06:55.600 enemy . So let me first explain that 06:55.609 --> 06:58.040 what the war stopper program is about . 06:58.049 --> 07:00.959 So at a very basic level , it is a 07:00.970 --> 07:04.230 vendor managed inventory 07:04.239 --> 07:08.029 concept . Where we essentially play pay 07:08.040 --> 07:11.410 for our place in line to get a variety 07:11.420 --> 07:13.642 of goods and services . So that when we 07:13.642 --> 07:16.570 do have that need to place orders for 07:16.579 --> 07:19.410 N95 masks , we can turn that on 07:19.420 --> 07:21.859 contractually and move forward with our 07:21.869 --> 07:24.829 order . Based on that war stopper 07:24.839 --> 07:28.700 concept infections and deaths from the 07:28.709 --> 07:31.579 virus were steadily rising . While job 07:31.589 --> 07:34.529 losses and hunger hit some populations . 07:36.380 --> 07:39.510 Recognizing D's diverse portfolio and 07:39.519 --> 07:42.579 acquisition capabilities do received 07:42.589 --> 07:46.420 cares Act and fema funding . D troop 07:46.429 --> 07:49.500 support and energy fulfilled medical 07:49.510 --> 07:52.239 subsistence and fuel orders for the 07:52.250 --> 07:55.480 stood up floating hospitals . March 07:55.489 --> 07:58.390 31st , the navy reported escalating 07:58.399 --> 08:01.769 infections at sea . D responded through 08:01.779 --> 08:03.829 its Guam base of operations , 08:03.839 --> 08:06.019 supporting deployed forces . In 08:06.029 --> 08:08.307 particular , the Roosevelt at the time , 08:08.350 --> 08:10.572 we were able to move very quickly using 08:10.572 --> 08:12.779 the US Transcom transportation 08:12.790 --> 08:14.940 contracts and be able to distribute 08:14.950 --> 08:18.369 that P pe not only on Guam but also in 08:18.380 --> 08:22.130 support of the US . Roosevelt New 08:22.140 --> 08:24.209 York City was the country's largest 08:24.220 --> 08:27.290 hotpot . Manhattan's Javits Center was 08:27.299 --> 08:30.429 converted to a medical facility . D A 08:30.440 --> 08:32.799 troop support outlay the cost and 08:32.809 --> 08:35.090 delivered medical supplies for the army 08:35.099 --> 08:38.000 Corps of Engineers . Anywhere they set 08:38.010 --> 08:41.919 up a new military treatment facility 08:41.929 --> 08:44.900 to support uh the pandemic . We were 08:44.909 --> 08:47.929 able to connect and make sure they had 08:48.179 --> 08:51.489 access to our supply chain in order to 08:51.500 --> 08:53.570 receive medical supplies as well as 08:53.580 --> 08:56.479 pharmaceuticals with overwhelmed 08:56.489 --> 09:00.010 hospitals . Sterilizing used N95 masks 09:00.020 --> 09:02.530 became the next White House priority . 09:03.729 --> 09:06.700 New Navy fleet , quarantines require DL 09:06.710 --> 09:08.969 A troop support to provide two weeks of 09:08.979 --> 09:12.070 meals for their sailors . We were able 09:12.080 --> 09:14.640 to get prime vendors to ship sandwiches , 09:14.650 --> 09:17.299 catering items to the loading docks 09:17.599 --> 09:21.140 within 24 hours as the nation found 09:21.150 --> 09:24.090 itself under stay at home orders . DL A 09:24.099 --> 09:26.469 was working around the clock . These 09:26.479 --> 09:28.535 folks here in the warehouse consider 09:28.535 --> 09:30.590 themselves mission essential because 09:30.590 --> 09:32.701 they knew not a second could go by to 09:32.701 --> 09:34.646 where they can't provide a support 09:34.646 --> 09:36.812 because it had the ability to change a 09:36.812 --> 09:38.701 life . We maintained at least two 09:38.701 --> 09:41.035 shifts and in some cases , three shifts , 09:41.035 --> 09:43.090 you know , they were wearing mask at 09:43.090 --> 09:45.146 work . They had to wear mask at home 09:45.146 --> 09:47.368 because they knew they had to come back 09:47.368 --> 09:49.250 the next day . Donations , 09:49.260 --> 09:52.190 distributions , global destinations , 09:52.200 --> 09:55.109 all tested DLS logistics backbone 09:56.200 --> 09:58.630 knew small businesses were at the heart 09:58.640 --> 10:01.469 of the supply chain and also saw many 10:01.479 --> 10:03.849 needed an economic life raft to stay 10:03.859 --> 10:07.539 afloat . Small businesses are the core 10:07.549 --> 10:10.260 of our support in order to provide this 10:10.270 --> 10:12.381 equipment so quickly because they can 10:12.381 --> 10:15.059 move in an agile and fast fashion . We 10:15.070 --> 10:17.849 were postured to use a variety of 10:17.859 --> 10:19.859 different tools to understand which 10:19.859 --> 10:22.340 companies were uh completely shut down , 10:22.349 --> 10:24.849 had limited access to their employees . 10:24.859 --> 10:26.970 We changed payment structures in some 10:26.970 --> 10:29.192 cases to , to advance funds uh to those 10:29.192 --> 10:31.192 folks to help keep them afloat . Um 10:31.192 --> 10:33.248 because we knew that we'd eventually 10:33.248 --> 10:35.415 commit a pandemic and we'd need them . 10:35.415 --> 10:35.349 In fact , during the pandemic , we grow , 10:35.359 --> 10:38.690 grew about 10% our small business um 10:38.700 --> 10:41.010 efforts . So uh the good news story 10:41.020 --> 10:44.609 across the board , the White House task 10:44.619 --> 10:47.869 force assigned Dlap pe procurement 10:47.880 --> 10:51.419 duties for fema and HHS . We had 10:51.429 --> 10:54.739 instilled confidence in the White House 10:54.750 --> 10:57.849 task force in HHS where it was just 10:57.859 --> 11:00.090 let's add another requirement and give 11:00.099 --> 11:02.679 it to DL A . When it came to what was 11:02.690 --> 11:04.690 needed , we were ready to provide 11:04.700 --> 11:06.630 whether it was COVID-19 support , 11:06.640 --> 11:08.418 whether it was working with the 11:08.418 --> 11:10.751 Department of Health and Human Services , 11:10.751 --> 11:12.973 we are ready to respond to the pandemic 11:13.330 --> 11:16.669 fema and DL executed face shield orders 11:16.679 --> 11:18.919 in record time . While testing for the 11:18.929 --> 11:21.419 virus meant millions of swabs were 11:21.429 --> 11:23.950 needed . The White House next focused 11:23.960 --> 11:27.640 on 15,000 nursing homes . Seeing the 11:27.650 --> 11:29.817 expanding workload , the Department of 11:29.817 --> 11:32.659 Defense Controller authorized a $1 11:32.669 --> 11:34.880 billion spending limit increase for 11:34.890 --> 11:38.409 Dlas COVID-19 response purchases . It 11:38.419 --> 11:41.340 made perfect sense to continue to 11:41.349 --> 11:43.650 increase the obligation authority to DL 11:43.659 --> 11:46.669 A because we had the experience and the 11:46.679 --> 11:50.250 expertise to buy on behalf 11:50.260 --> 11:52.020 of the nation . 11:54.969 --> 11:58.940 By June 2020 D had expedited more 11:58.950 --> 12:02.650 than 13,000 contract actions while also 12:02.659 --> 12:05.140 finding millions of excess military 12:05.150 --> 12:07.489 materials to reutilize across the 12:07.500 --> 12:10.489 country . The following months saw the 12:10.500 --> 12:13.739 missions grow in material volumes and 12:13.750 --> 12:16.260 delivery destinations around the globe , 12:17.809 --> 12:20.590 received some of the first vaccines for 12:20.599 --> 12:23.250 our military at home and abroad and 12:23.260 --> 12:25.770 adapted to meet the sub zero delivery 12:25.780 --> 12:27.969 mandate , cold chain management , 12:27.979 --> 12:30.035 especially once the code of vaccines 12:30.035 --> 12:32.820 came into play was huge . But one of 12:32.830 --> 12:35.052 the great things about being here at DL 12:35.052 --> 12:37.719 Troop Support . Medical is the dod Cold 12:37.729 --> 12:39.849 chain expert from the entire dod 12:40.390 --> 12:42.859 resides in this medical supply chain . 12:42.869 --> 12:45.036 We certainly understood the cold chain 12:45.036 --> 12:47.091 management piece of it . The biggest 12:47.091 --> 12:49.313 difference was maintaining the minus 20 12:49.313 --> 12:51.369 temperature . There were temperature 12:51.369 --> 12:53.202 tails put on it so that we could 12:53.202 --> 12:55.258 determine whether or not there was a 12:55.258 --> 12:57.425 compromise in moving the material from 12:57.425 --> 13:00.950 Susquehanna to any location . When the 13:00.960 --> 13:03.020 White House purchased test kits from 13:03.030 --> 13:05.197 multiple suppliers , they looked to do 13:05.349 --> 13:07.960 distribution for accountability and 13:07.969 --> 13:10.630 disbursement with the US Postal Service , 13:10.890 --> 13:13.809 we could command and control the vast 13:13.820 --> 13:16.059 amount of COVID test kits by utilizing 13:16.070 --> 13:18.237 two different locations . One that was 13:18.237 --> 13:20.237 on the west coast in California and 13:20.237 --> 13:22.459 another that was here in Pennsylvania . 13:22.459 --> 13:24.403 So the final result was the United 13:24.403 --> 13:26.570 States Postal Service sending out over 13:26.570 --> 13:29.150 731 million tests to the American 13:29.159 --> 13:32.700 people . Usaid enlisted for 13:32.710 --> 13:35.030 international support to parts of South 13:35.039 --> 13:38.289 America , Africa and South Asia . More 13:38.299 --> 13:41.289 than 35 countries in all south comm as 13:41.299 --> 13:43.049 the pandemic proceeded , had a 13:43.059 --> 13:45.619 tremendous need for hospitals or to see 13:45.630 --> 13:47.797 or treat patients and they didn't need 13:47.797 --> 13:49.908 just hospitals , but they needed them 13:49.908 --> 13:52.019 mobile , they needed them movable and 13:52.019 --> 13:54.241 they needed them to be able to be stood 13:54.241 --> 13:56.408 up very quickly . The country of India 13:56.408 --> 13:58.760 was in dire need and requested any 13:58.770 --> 14:00.992 support that we could provide . We were 14:00.992 --> 14:03.103 able to support countries as far away 14:03.103 --> 14:05.599 as Nepal India , as well as South 14:05.609 --> 14:07.380 America with vaccines . 14:10.409 --> 14:12.520 In the end , the funding tools , the 14:12.530 --> 14:14.950 supplier relationships and the DLA 14:14.960 --> 14:17.299 structure stood tall to serve our 14:17.309 --> 14:21.049 forces , our nation and the world from 14:21.059 --> 14:24.760 the very get go until the vaccine was 14:24.770 --> 14:26.937 if you will developed . And even after 14:26.937 --> 14:28.992 the vaccine was developed , this has 14:28.992 --> 14:31.159 been a logistics fight and d was there 14:31.159 --> 14:33.381 from the beginning and it really helped 14:33.381 --> 14:35.548 the nation get through this . I do not 14:35.548 --> 14:37.548 believe that any other organization 14:37.548 --> 14:39.714 provided the magnitude of support that 14:39.714 --> 14:41.770 do provided . We evolved into a near 14:41.770 --> 14:43.992 wartime footing with our personnel . It 14:43.992 --> 14:46.159 was 24 7 taking what we already had in 14:46.159 --> 14:48.344 place , expanding it . But just a true 14:48.354 --> 14:50.784 amount of dedication and effort and 14:50.794 --> 14:54.260 grit shipping that the nursing home was 14:54.270 --> 14:56.326 when there was a lot of people dying 14:56.326 --> 14:58.548 was an important , incredibly important 14:58.548 --> 15:00.603 mission . Something that we couldn't 15:00.603 --> 15:02.603 fail at our folks nonstop , touch , 15:02.603 --> 15:04.770 everything that you see , you turn the 15:04.770 --> 15:07.020 TV on , I promise you d A distribution 15:07.030 --> 15:09.059 is having something to do with any 15:09.070 --> 15:11.292 events happening worldwide . What we do 15:11.292 --> 15:13.770 here matters , we can support and help 15:13.780 --> 15:15.947 what we're seeing happening across the 15:15.947 --> 15:18.058 world . We're a part of that solution 15:18.058 --> 15:20.113 and a part of that solution that you 15:20.113 --> 15:22.113 can't find anywhere else . Not only 15:22.113 --> 15:21.849 exists here at D A .