Haiti Logistics: What the DLA Did

An under-reported story behind the U.S. military aid to Haiti concerning the Defense Logistics Agency as told by the - DLA's Sara Moore:

Immediately after the quake hit, DLA began coordinating with USSOUTHCOM, which had partnered with the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development to assess the need for humanitarian support. In the following weeks, DLA deployed a support team to Joint Task Force Haiti, and the Agency’s field activities worked around the clock, filling hundreds of thousands of requests for ready-to-eat meals, bottles of water, medical supplies, health and comfort items, fuel, maps, repair parts for military equipment and construction materials.

The Agency established two DLA support teams to assist relief workers on the ground. Twelve logisticians forming DLA Support Team – Haiti were deployed to Haiti, and two members of the separate seven-member DLA Support Team – Migrant Ops were at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, doing preliminary work in case Haitian refugees were sent there.

Additional DLA representatives were aboard the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, and others worked with USSOUTHCOM in Miami, including members of DLA’s Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office who helped establish a contracting office and evaluate contracting approaches.

As of March 12, Defense Supply Center Philadelphia had filled more than 9,000 requisitions valued at $76.5 million, including Meals, Ready-to-Eat, group rations, bottled water, ice, produce, commercial pre-packaged meals, tents, uniforms and construction supplies. Notably, DSCP provided 2.7 million ready-to-eat meals in support of the World Food Program, coordinating its effort with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The meals were allocated by USAID to support the World Food Program’s plans for 15 distribution sites, including orphanages and hospitals.

DLA also coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to replenish FEMA stocks of 1 million ready-to-eat meals FEMA sent to Haiti.

In addition to providing food, DLA sourced construction material in support of Port-au-Prince pier reconstruction. DLA also provided hundreds of tents and cots to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which was used as a hub for humanitarian supplies headed to Haiti.

Employees are DLA’s field activities have spent countless hours supporting the Haiti relief efforts.

The Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service provided more than $74 million in supplies like sleeping bags, generators and medical supplies, while the Defense Energy Support Center provided more than 500 drums of diesel fuel and 250 drums of motor gasoline.

Defense Supply Center Richmond, Va., provided more than 68,000 maps and charts for U.S. forces operating in and around Haiti, and additional tie-down straps that were used to secure loads on aircraft and helicopters as they flew supplies into Haiti.

The Defense Distribution Center’s Supply Chain Transportation Division ran an around-the-clock operation to support disaster-relief efforts in Haiti. DDC SCT is responsible for coordinating transportation requirements for the DDC’s vendor base, including providing carriers, documentation and guidance as freight moves to its destination.

Photo:

BIREY, Haiti (Jan. 30, 2010) Sailors assigned to the amphibious dock-landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) unload a truck bed of meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) at a Birey, Haiti school. Carter Hall is conducting humanitarian and disaster relief operations as part of Operation Unified Response after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused severe damage in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti Jan. 12. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Monique Hilley/Released)