DLA’s Role in Defense Supply Chain Resilience, Partnerships, and Technological Advancements

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first began in 2020, supply chain management has become a hot topic in both newsrooms and boardrooms. According to Oracle, only 45% of people considered how their goods were delivered pre-COVID, but by September 2021, that number jumped to 91%. Similarly in business, 61% of companies in a 2022 EY survey said supply chain visibility has become a top priority.

As global supply chains faced shortages and logistical challenges due to the pandemic, the Department of Defense had to think creatively to maintain operational success in its hundreds of bases worldwide. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) manages the DoD global supply chain and was responsible for keeping five military services, 11 combatant commands, and several federal, state, and local agencies equipped throughout the pandemic.

Kenneth Watson, Deputy Commander of Land and Maritime at the DLA, is one of the individuals who experienced the challenges COVID presented to the defense supply chain first-hand. Ken's extensive career has taken him through various critical roles, including logistics program management for high-frequency communication systems, and leading logistics support at Aviano Air Base in Italy. Ken's expertise extends to international logistics, highlighted by his time as deputy director in the Pentagon's A-4/7 engine room, and his role in the Joint Staff J4, which included a deployment to Iraq. He later served as an SES at U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), where he was deputy J5/J4 and director of logistics for the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.

In 2016, Ken transitioned to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Material Readiness in the Department of Defense, overseeing maintenance plans and programs. In 2019, Ken began his current role as Deputy Commander of Land and Maritime at the DLA. In this interview with IDGA, Ken shares his thoughts on the following defense logistics topics:

• Lessons learned from the Covid pandemic
• Managing supply chains in contested regions
• How the DLA is embracing AI
• What attendees of the 2024 Defense Logistics & Support Summit can expect to learn from Ken