Obtaining the necessary items such as uniforms and receiving those items as quickly as possible is vital to the welfare of soldiers in theater. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia’s Clothing & Textiles supply chain makes every effort to provide these items with maximum efficiency.
DSCP is a field activity of the Defense Logistics Agency, headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va. In April 2009, two additional clothing items, the flame resistant Army combat uniform and the improved physical fitness uniform, became available to deployed soldiers through the Army Direct Ordering Program, DSCP’s Web-based online ordering service.
In 2004, DSCP’s Army Direct Ordering Program became part of a larger existing virtual prime vendor program which offers military customers tailored service. DSCP partnered with the Kentucky Logistics Operation Center to create a third-party logistics operation. The center is a subcontractor who runs a central clothing distribution facility responsible for receiving, warehousing and delivering the goods. Soldiers can order more than 50 replacement items, ranging from Army combat uniforms to goggles, directly from the center, which can be accessed from their Army Knowledge Online account.
The Army Direct Ordering Program was initially limited to a select number of sites in Iraq. Now the program has been expanded to support units in Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, Kuwait and Djibouti.
“The ADO program has been an outstanding success and a valuable benefit to soldiers deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, providing sustainment of clothing bag items and organizational clothing and individual equipment,” said Kenneth Gunn, program manager for the third party logistics program. “Soldiers have the ease of ordering from a Web-based catalog and receive the order that has been individually picked, packed, and shipped to their location in theater.”
DSCP was the recipient of the 2006 Department of Defense Supply Chain Excellence Award for its direct ordering program. The award recognizes organizations that are committed to improving supply chain performance in providing logistics support to troops.
“With the coordination of the military services, DSCP strives to have the best equipped and well-protected military in the world,” said Susanne McHale, supervisor of the battledress uniform integrated supplier team. McHale’s team partnered with industry to make the flame resistant Army combat uniform available.
“In the past few years, it has become clear that our deployed service members need to be protected from flash burns caused by improvised explosive devices and other enemy weapons in the field,” said McHale. “The flame resistant Army combat uniform is just one of many steps being taken to reduce injuries to our brave men and women in theater around the world.”
Defender M, a flame resistant cloth with a fiber blend of rayon, para-aramid, and nylon, is used to make the combat uniform. Once a soldier places an order for the uniform, the person receives it in three weeks or less.
Another item soldiers can now order through the Army Direct Ordering Program is the physical fitness uniform. Scott Kromis, who oversees the accessories team at DSCP, said that by providing a modernized ensemble for physical fitness gear to the Army, soldiers are able to perform their physical fitness activities in a safer uniform that lasts longer.
Modifications were made to the physical fitness uniform by adding a long sleeve T-shirt and a modern workout jacket and pants which are made of high performance fabrics that resist wind and rain, while allowing moisture to pass through. Adjustable vents were added to the jacket, along with reflective stripes and reinforced elbows and a hidden back vent. The new T-shirts are safer, and have a modern look and fit.
The Department of the Army, Army Central Command, Army Clothing and Services Office, Kentucky Logistics Operation Center, Advantech and the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia collaborated to make changes to the Army Direct Ordering Program Web site to add the new clothing items.
As a combat logistics organization, the Defense Logistics Agency is responsible for providing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies, and joint and allied forces with a variety of logistics, acquisition and technical services. These services include procuring and distributing more than three million consumable items, such as rations, medical supplies and equipment, clothing and textiles, repair parts for land, sea and air weapons systems and platforms, fuel and energy services. DLA employs 23,000 civilian and military employees, with Fiscal Year 2008 business revenues of $42 billion.
For more information about DLA, go to www.dla.mil .
Source: Defense Logistics Agency, Philadelphia, June 29, 2009
