DSRs provide property disposal helping hand across Europe

Defense Logistics Agency Disposal Service Representatives, or DSRs, are the jack-of-all-trade reverse logistics experts who regularly meet with warfighters looking to get used and excess equipment off their property books. They are stationed at DLA Disposition Services sites throughout the world, and their role is primarily a dual one: teach the relatively new military logisticians about the rules and processes for turning in unwanted material and help the seasoned ones plan for and execute their upcoming divestitures

Robert Lang is a German national who began working for DLA back in 1982, when the agency's property disposal sites were affectionately referred to throughout the U.S. military as "DRMOs," pronounced derr-moe, short for Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office. He said that his personal experience with direct customer service began with training customers on how to turn in their scrap material for the local sales DLA conducted each month. As technologies changed and processes evolved, his focus eventually shifted from scrap operations to managing the flow of customer appointments. Now, as a DSR, he's developed a key tip for warfighters seeking DLA's help.

"Don't be intimidated by the disposal process," Lang said. "While it is detailed, remember that it's designed to ensure accountability and national security. The best thing you can do is familiarize yourself with the procedures and that is what your DSR is here for. We are your primary resource to help you get it right."

In Germany, Joe Cervi serves as the DLA Disposition Services area manager for Kaiserslautern. He said his area's DSR cohort is small, but "every individual's strengths are leveraged for maximum productivity." The group generates a "non-stop flow" of positive customer feedback and kudos from warfighting units operating from Poland to the Netherlands, across Germany and France, in Luxembourg and Belgium, all the way out to Lajes Air Base in Portugal's Azores islands.

"Working overseas, a DSR has to understand the host nation's regulations, as well as other country requirements, which may differ from those [in the U.S.]," said Cervi. "Their rules affect how property is screened, sold, and processed, so we work closely with units to make sure their turn ins meet those guidelines to avoid delays or rejections."

Agency DSRs throughout Europe are always on the go, providing direct customer support and guidance in the field. Some of the Kaiserslautern team's recent training visits with regional warfighters include U.S. Army NATO Brigade Headquarters in Sembach, the Air Force 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, 504th Brigade Signal Company at U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, and the 16th Sustainment Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Baumholder.

Over the summer, DSR Nicholas Lulay, a former sailor with multiple missions to Iraq and Afghanistan for DLA, provided lessons on excess material turn-in requirements to property management personnel at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near Kaiserslautern. While at the LRMC, Lulay also met with the attendees' officer in charge to provide some unit-specific guidance and perform a comprehensive property assessment to prepare both the LRMC and DLA for future property turn-in requirements.

"The DSR's value to customer support is indispensable," Lulay said. "It's essential to have a local expert with broad expertise who can operate proactively. This approach is key to effective planning, as it allows [DLA] to better interpret customer needs and assist them through our various programs, such as disposal or reutilization. The DSR makes those critical connections and bridges the support gap when needed."

His Kaiserslautern teammate and former Marine Clay Toms spent a decade as a DLA material examiner and identifier at the Camp Lejeune property disposal site in North Carolina prior to joining the K-town office. He said that, ultimately, customers look to the agency's DSRs to help them answer tough questions and find solutions.

"Sometimes it means being able to help a unit get cold weather gear for an unforeseen event at the last minute or an extra truck they desperately needed to transport people and gear," Toms said. "Whether we are making property go away the right way or getting property into someone's hands who has a use for it, our job is to know how to make it happen and support the warfighter any way we can."

Agency customers seeking property turn in assistance can reach out to the DSRs in their area by selecting the nearest DLA Disposition Services site location in the site finder on the agency's website. Additionally, they are encouraged to access DLA's "Digital DSR" page, a one-stop location for learning about property turn-in, appointment scheduling, and excess property reutilization search.