In memoriam: President Jimmy Carter, 1924-2024

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -

Mourning is remembering. As the nation reflects on the life of Jimmy Carter, it's helpful to recall the many ways his administration changed the Defense Department, and what those changes meant for the Defense Logistics Agency. While a peanut farmer with no background in Washington politics, the 39th president nominated veteran Pentagon executive Harold Brown as his defense secretary. This combination of outside perspective and inside knowledge proved potent, driving organizational reform and prompting investments in future capabilities.

One of the first and most direct interactions DLA had with the new administration involved a naval vessel. Carter argued that the government should serve the people, not the leadership class. To moderate the perception of lawmakers as elitest, on the rise since Vietnam and Watergate, he decided to decommission the presidential yacht. DLA conducted the sale.

Another significant decision by Carter was cancelling the B-1A bomber. While an efficiency measure, cancellation put 2,500 vendor employees out of work. DLA's Defense Contract Administration Services Region Los Angeles responded by holding a jobs fair. By matching workers to 115 firms looking to hire, DCAR Los Angeles reduced the costs of the decision, helped other companies under its cognizance and kept the industrial base warm.

Another impact resulted from Brown restructuring the Defense Department. With defense agencies increasing in number, he ordered them to answer to assistant secretaries, not himself. While giving the defense secretary time to read and think, this restructuring weakened DLA's Pentagon backing. DOD codified this new reporting chain in DLA's 1978 charter. In addition to eliminating the agency as a direct report, the charter recognized its growth as a global organization. No longer would the director have to ask permission to support units outside the continental United States. Under Brown and Carter, DLA received the worldwide remit it holds today.

Carter's quest for efficiency extended beyond reporting chains. To realize savings, Brown consolidated like functions at the Pentagon under a new organization called Washington Headquarters Services. DLA would both support and compete against WHS in years to come. The secretary also assigned programs to established Defense Department components so they could access the larger organizations' support functions. In 1977, DLA received the DOD Project Engineering Services Office, Defense Materiel Specification and Standards Office, DOD Logistics Data Element Standardization and Management Office, Office of Centralized Referral Activity and Defense Logistics Analysis Office.

Carter wanted a defense department that was more capable, not just more efficient. Recognizing the rising importance of the Middle East, he formed the Counterterrorism Task Force, a predecessor of today's U.S. Central Command. Along with a training center the Army was establishing in the Mojave Desert, the task force would increase demand for items in several DLA supply chains. Additionally, Brown followed presidential guidance by accelerating M1 Abrams and F-16 Fighting Falcon development. DLA used its knowledge of repair parts to influence the design of these weapon systems.

The agency even advanced Carter's policies. It sold items to Israel; Saudi Arabia; and, until its revolution, Iran. More important was filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a mission DLA executed until it could be transferred to the Department of Energy, an organization that owes its existence to Carter. Finally, the agency procured fuel for communities in Maine after OPEC restrictions caused shortages in February 1979. While the energy crisis of the late 1970s was bad for Carter's presidency, it bolstered the agency's reputation as a crisis mitigator.

Carter emphasized crisis mitigation. To help the nation during catastrophes, he consolidated response organizations under a single headquarters called the Federal Emergency Management Agency. DLA has supported FEMA since the day it formed.

If Carter's presidency offers a lesson for DLA, it's the need to remain flexible when faced with new political guidance. By aligning itself with Carter's goals, the agency not only survived but thrived. Employees can reflect on this legacy as they mourn their former commander-in-chief.

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