DLA Troop Support charts modernization course, pitching AI and digital workforce solutions to drive Warfighter readiness

After three days of intensive brainstorming focused on the future of military logistics, leaders at the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support presented Deputy Commander Christopher Mosher with a series of bold, innovative proposals designed to forge a new path forward and create a blueprint for transforming agency operations to enhance its core mission: to deliver optimal, global supply chain solutions to enable ready, lethal Warfighters and our other valued partners.

"A key objective in our annual operating plan is to build a truly 'data-first' workforce, and that's about ensuring our people are skilled and our processes are streamlined," Mosher said. "That's what true readiness is going to require from us."

The presentations were the culmination of the command's "Creating Innovative Navigators Course," a developmental tool designed specifically to help the workforce achieve tangible mission impact. The course, which is offered several times a year, provided the framework for the leadership groups to move beyond abstract ideas and build out concrete, actionable solutions to real-world problems facing the agency.

"The course provided a framework that moved our group beyond just having interesting innovation discussions," said Christopher Ludwig, DLA Troop Support's Customer Ops, Branch ChiefIndo-Pacific Region, Subsistence Directorate and a course participant. "It really challenged us to focus on achieving true mission impact and gave us the tools to get important and relevant work done, not just acknowledge a problem."

The course is structured to serve as a universal reference tool that standardizes the process of innovation. It provides a repeatable methodology that can be used by any employee to develop and refine their ideas, regardless of their specific area of expertise or level of experience within the organization.

"What stood out to me was how the course demystified the whole idea of innovation," said Matt Ligato, DLA Troop Support's Subsistence Outside the Continental U.S. Prime Vendor IST Chief, who also presented as a participant. "It showed us that you don't need to be a designated 'creative type' to build a solution. It's about following a logical process, and that gives you the confidence to tackle a complex problem and develop a sound, presentable plan."

The first presentation tackled the critical need to move from reactive to predictive logistics. Leaders identified a significant vulnerability in the current supply chain: the lack of an early warning system to flag potential vendor delinquencies, which can cause administrative overload and preventable backorders. Their solution is a conceptual Artificial Intelligence tool named VALOR, or Vendor Alert and Liability Oversight Resource, designed as an automated, real-time early warning and vendor collaboration tool.

"This is precisely the kind of proactive thinking that gives us an advantage," Mosher stated. "Moving our mindset from diagnosis to prognosis is a game-changer. A tool like VALOR could be a decision-advantage engine that will keep us ahead of the problem. By leveraging AI, we can achieve true decision advantage and proactively mitigate disruptions before they can impact the Warfighter."

The subsequent presentations pivoted to another core priority: the development of a "digital-first" workforce. One group introduced a concept called Leveraging Innovation Networks & Knowledge, or LINK, an initiative designed to help employees master the array of data tools at their disposal. The goal is to ensure the workforce can use the agency's resources and capabilities effectively by making them more efficient and data-literate in their daily tasks.

"I couldn't agree more with this approach. This directly supports our 'People' imperative," Kelvin Picorelli, DLA Troop Support's Director of Business Process Support commented. "We share the responsibility to ensure our workforce is ready to support military combat operations, and that means developing our people to accomplish these essential tasks. A concept like LINK is fundamental to that readiness."

Another group built on this theme proposed the Digital Adoption Readiness Team, or DART, which would embed process improvement experts within each of DLA Troop Support's four supply chains. For the Subsistence supply chain, providing global food support, DART could create dashboards to predict demand and reduce spoilage. For Clothing & Textiles, it could mean better inventory management of uniforms and essential equipment. In the diverse Construction & Equipment supply chain, DART could integrate tracking for everything from maintenance and repair parts to heavy equipment and life-saving gear. For the Medical supply chain, which supports the military daily and, in every crisis, it could provide real-time visibility on critical supplies, from bandages to life-support equipment.

"This is the future taking shape, driven by informal leadership from the ground up," Patrick "Spike" Owens, DLA Troop Support's deputy director of Operations and Plans said. "The combination of digital acumen and the motivation to be agents of change is exactly the force we need to build the agile and resilient logistics framework that will enable our support to the Warfighter in a contested logistics environment."

The final presentation focused on empowering the workforce directly by pitching a Troop Support Automated Process Council to work with personnel on the floor to find and digitize manual processes.

"The synergy between these ideas is powerful. DART provides the top-down expertise, and the Council empowers innovation from the ground up," Mosher concluded, addressing all the groups. "You have all given us a multi-faceted roadmap for our future, and I see the need for every one of these ideas. I will be taking these concepts to the commanding general. Now, the real work begins."