WEBVTT 00:08.989 --> 00:11.609 It caught us off guard . A global 00:11.619 --> 00:14.000 pandemic of a scale not seen in a 00:14.010 --> 00:17.819 century . It affected everyone 00:18.020 --> 00:20.187 and every part of government needed to 00:20.187 --> 00:24.020 react . The defense logistics agency 00:24.030 --> 00:26.780 played a key role on many fronts for 00:26.790 --> 00:29.120 its unique capabilities and crisis 00:29.129 --> 00:33.090 management experience . This is how 00:33.099 --> 00:36.270 DL A stepped up to serve our forces , 00:36.459 --> 00:38.430 our nation and the world . 00:57.080 --> 01:00.720 January 31st , DL A analytics tracked 01:00.729 --> 01:03.439 initial alerts from global resources . 01:03.830 --> 01:06.250 So early on , there was a report during 01:06.260 --> 01:08.371 our daily operations brief that there 01:08.371 --> 01:12.089 was an outbreak of a virus in 01:12.099 --> 01:12.769 China . 01:15.809 --> 01:18.169 We were in the infancy of understanding 01:18.180 --> 01:20.790 how the virus attacked the body , but 01:20.800 --> 01:23.110 we needed to prepare for it . There was 01:23.120 --> 01:25.287 a realization that 85% of the material 01:25.287 --> 01:27.342 that our country needed was actually 01:27.342 --> 01:29.629 made offshore . And so we quickly set 01:29.639 --> 01:31.680 about coordinating with the medical 01:31.690 --> 01:33.468 distributors , with the medical 01:33.468 --> 01:35.634 industrial base to understand what the 01:35.634 --> 01:37.579 nation could make domestically and 01:37.579 --> 01:39.746 where we were going to have to find it 01:39.746 --> 01:39.279 to meet our shortfalls . 01:45.910 --> 01:48.849 Well , before the virus hit our shores , 01:48.860 --> 01:52.449 DL was busy in the Pacific . So in 01:52.459 --> 01:56.410 February of 20 Korea really was 01:56.419 --> 01:59.400 the center of gravity for COVID we 01:59.410 --> 02:02.459 worked with troop support to move the P 02:02.470 --> 02:05.680 pe that was on hand to those forces in 02:05.690 --> 02:09.149 Korea . As the virus spread across the 02:09.160 --> 02:13.000 end . A R we were in full mode . After 02:13.009 --> 02:15.240 that , we had to go and continue that 02:15.250 --> 02:18.380 support to you . A and until it hit 02:18.389 --> 02:21.679 here in the Homeland March 13th , 02:21.690 --> 02:24.220 COVID-19 was declared a national 02:24.229 --> 02:27.529 emergency by the president . The US 02:27.539 --> 02:31.000 military needed P pe by the millions , 02:33.360 --> 02:36.089 more than 30 do personnel were now 02:36.100 --> 02:38.322 being positioned within the White House 02:38.322 --> 02:40.156 task force , critical government 02:40.160 --> 02:43.309 agencies and military commands . When 02:43.320 --> 02:45.789 the president announced as a pandemic , 02:45.800 --> 02:47.970 we started using that same model of 02:47.979 --> 02:51.695 embedding with our partners to where 02:51.705 --> 02:54.975 could we embed personnel to help those 02:54.985 --> 02:58.095 agencies as they started taking more 02:58.104 --> 02:59.937 immediate actions to combat this 02:59.937 --> 03:01.993 pandemic . And so instead of another 03:01.993 --> 03:04.104 government agency trying to figure it 03:04.104 --> 03:06.271 out on their own , now , you have that 03:06.271 --> 03:08.215 subject matter of expertise that's 03:08.215 --> 03:10.382 embedded that they can just rely on to 03:10.382 --> 03:12.604 provide solutions and minimize the time 03:12.604 --> 03:14.949 that's needed to execute as the demand 03:14.960 --> 03:17.190 for medical materials exploded . 03:17.199 --> 03:20.020 Government agencies gravitated to DL 03:20.029 --> 03:23.520 A's strengths and speed . I view DL A 03:23.529 --> 03:26.259 as an acquisition machine . We have an 03:26.270 --> 03:28.437 enormous amount of contracts out there 03:28.437 --> 03:30.492 that support a whole wide variety of 03:30.492 --> 03:33.470 products and services . We have many 03:33.479 --> 03:35.389 thousands of contract managers , 03:35.399 --> 03:37.510 contract specialists and acquisitions 03:37.510 --> 03:39.510 professionals . So when you go to a 03:39.510 --> 03:43.089 place like fema , they had 40 40 , we 03:43.100 --> 03:45.559 were getting orders for fema for health 03:45.570 --> 03:48.009 and human services occasionally . Uh 03:48.020 --> 03:52.009 But that really exploded once March 03:52.020 --> 03:54.240 2020 happened , that's when we got a 03:54.250 --> 03:56.899 significant , significant influx of 03:56.910 --> 03:58.854 orders and requirements from those 03:58.854 --> 04:00.854 agencies who were unable to procure 04:00.854 --> 04:02.910 that equipment in a timely fashion . 04:03.009 --> 04:03.800 When we were 04:07.850 --> 04:09.929 eight supply chains have always 04:09.940 --> 04:12.779 fulfilled . Do D and government agency 04:12.789 --> 04:15.490 needs this time . However , fierce 04:15.500 --> 04:18.049 competition for supplies required a 04:18.059 --> 04:21.339 change in tactics . We have the medical 04:21.350 --> 04:23.461 prime vendors that we start to tap in 04:23.461 --> 04:25.980 to immediately . But uh I mean , 04:25.989 --> 04:29.850 quickly demand outpaced um supply 04:29.859 --> 04:32.130 and we had to had to look elsewhere . 04:32.140 --> 04:35.649 It was key for us to pivot and tap into 04:35.660 --> 04:38.049 the DL A global distribution network 04:38.059 --> 04:40.170 which allowed us to bring material in 04:40.170 --> 04:41.839 separately from our normal uh 04:41.850 --> 04:44.220 commercial vendors and allowed us to 04:44.230 --> 04:47.450 prioritize and control the material 04:47.459 --> 04:49.790 needed to support our whole government 04:49.799 --> 04:51.679 and our DD forces . There was a 04:51.690 --> 04:53.959 realization early on that there's no 04:53.970 --> 04:56.959 need to have other agencies compete 04:56.970 --> 04:59.630 against each other for the same items 04:59.640 --> 05:02.130 from the same sources . HHS . Your 05:02.140 --> 05:04.196 expertise is to define the technical 05:04.196 --> 05:07.100 requirements . DL A your job is to 05:07.109 --> 05:10.109 procure those and deliver them 05:14.679 --> 05:17.390 provided essential medical supplies and 05:17.399 --> 05:19.899 fuel to hospital ships and routes to 05:19.910 --> 05:22.630 New York City and Los Angeles at 05:22.649 --> 05:24.760 Norfolk , we were able to support the 05:24.760 --> 05:26.820 US NS comfort as they took that ship 05:26.829 --> 05:29.470 from 250 patients to 1000 patients as 05:29.480 --> 05:31.480 the ship was rolling up to New York 05:31.480 --> 05:33.591 City to support the pandemic where we 05:33.591 --> 05:35.813 did the exact same thing at the port of 05:35.813 --> 05:37.980 Los Angeles as our folks down from San 05:37.980 --> 05:40.091 Diego went up and supported the US Ns 05:40.091 --> 05:42.363 Mercy . So we're talking n95 respirator 05:42.372 --> 05:44.852 masks . We're talking gloves , uh night 05:44.863 --> 05:47.085 trial and vitriol rubber gloves . We're 05:47.085 --> 05:49.363 talking uh booties to cover your shoes . 05:49.363 --> 05:51.530 We're talking gowns as essentially any 05:51.530 --> 05:53.641 place that you can think of where you 05:53.641 --> 05:55.863 would need to be protected as a medical 05:55.863 --> 05:57.974 professional . Those are the types of 05:57.974 --> 05:59.807 equipment that we were asked for 05:59.807 --> 06:01.530 immediately . The prime vendor 06:01.530 --> 06:03.752 contracts were enormously effective for 06:03.752 --> 06:05.807 us . We had many agreements in place 06:05.807 --> 06:08.030 that we were able to place these orders 06:08.030 --> 06:09.863 immediately and have our vendors 06:09.863 --> 06:12.030 deliver timely uh with pricing already 06:12.030 --> 06:14.196 in place . It was , it just turned out 06:14.196 --> 06:16.363 to be a very effective tool . Early on 06:16.363 --> 06:18.419 the working capital fund and the war 06:18.419 --> 06:20.769 stopper program were invaluable . Do d 06:20.920 --> 06:23.540 strategic tools to expedite DS 06:23.640 --> 06:26.059 responses . The beauty of the working 06:26.070 --> 06:27.880 capital fund , right ? Unlike 06:27.890 --> 06:29.940 appropriated funding gives us the 06:29.950 --> 06:33.829 flexibility to go 06:33.839 --> 06:37.279 out and procure supplies 06:37.950 --> 06:41.559 ahead of a specific demand or order 06:41.570 --> 06:44.320 because we have that revolving fund all 06:44.329 --> 06:46.551 the time . We're able to go out and buy 06:46.551 --> 06:48.559 things as needed versus having to 06:48.579 --> 06:50.746 necessarily wait . And this allowed us 06:50.746 --> 06:52.690 to , to beat down that that time , 06:52.690 --> 06:55.600 enemy . So let me first explain that 06:55.609 --> 06:58.040 what the war stopper program is about . 06:58.049 --> 07:00.959 So at a very basic level , it is a 07:00.970 --> 07:04.230 vendor managed inventory 07:04.239 --> 07:08.029 concept . Where we essentially play pay 07:08.040 --> 07:11.410 for our place in line to get a variety 07:11.420 --> 07:13.642 of goods and services . So that when we 07:13.642 --> 07:16.570 do have that need to place orders for 07:16.579 --> 07:19.410 N95 masks , we can turn that on 07:19.420 --> 07:21.859 contractually and move forward with our 07:21.869 --> 07:24.829 order . Based on that war stopper 07:24.839 --> 07:28.700 concept infections and deaths from the 07:28.709 --> 07:31.579 virus were steadily rising . While job 07:31.589 --> 07:34.529 losses and hunger hit some populations . 07:36.380 --> 07:39.510 Recognizing D's diverse portfolio and 07:39.519 --> 07:42.579 acquisition capabilities do received 07:42.589 --> 07:46.420 cares Act and fema funding . D troop 07:46.429 --> 07:49.500 support and energy fulfilled medical 07:49.510 --> 07:52.239 subsistence and fuel orders for the 07:52.250 --> 07:55.480 stood up floating hospitals . March 07:55.489 --> 07:58.390 31st , the navy reported escalating 07:58.399 --> 08:01.769 infections at sea . D responded through 08:01.779 --> 08:03.829 its Guam base of operations , 08:03.839 --> 08:06.019 supporting deployed forces . In 08:06.029 --> 08:08.307 particular , the Roosevelt at the time , 08:08.350 --> 08:10.572 we were able to move very quickly using 08:10.572 --> 08:12.779 the US Transcom transportation 08:12.790 --> 08:14.940 contracts and be able to distribute 08:14.950 --> 08:18.369 that P pe not only on Guam but also in 08:18.380 --> 08:22.130 support of the US . Roosevelt New 08:22.140 --> 08:24.209 York City was the country's largest 08:24.220 --> 08:27.290 hotpot . Manhattan's Javits Center was 08:27.299 --> 08:30.429 converted to a medical facility . D A 08:30.440 --> 08:32.799 troop support outlay the cost and 08:32.809 --> 08:35.090 delivered medical supplies for the army 08:35.099 --> 08:38.000 Corps of Engineers . Anywhere they set 08:38.010 --> 08:41.919 up a new military treatment facility 08:41.929 --> 08:44.900 to support uh the pandemic . We were 08:44.909 --> 08:47.640 able to uh connect in , make sure they 08:47.650 --> 08:51.090 had access to our uh supply chain in 08:51.099 --> 08:53.169 order to receive medical supplies as 08:53.179 --> 08:55.669 well as pharmaceuticals as the nation 08:55.679 --> 08:58.250 found itself under stay at home orders . 08:58.260 --> 09:00.890 DL A was working around the clock . 09:00.940 --> 09:02.940 These folks here in the World House 09:02.940 --> 09:05.051 consider themselves mission essential 09:05.051 --> 09:07.273 because they knew not a second could go 09:07.273 --> 09:09.107 by to where they can't provide a 09:09.107 --> 09:11.218 support because it had the ability to 09:11.218 --> 09:13.384 change a life . We maintained at least 09:13.384 --> 09:15.384 two shifts and in some case , three 09:15.384 --> 09:17.496 shifts , you know , they were wearing 09:17.496 --> 09:19.718 mask at work . They had to wear mask at 09:19.718 --> 09:21.940 home because they knew they had to come 09:21.940 --> 09:24.119 back the next day . Donations , 09:24.130 --> 09:27.099 distributions , global destinations . 09:27.109 --> 09:29.979 All tested DLS logistics backbone 09:31.080 --> 09:33.510 knew small businesses were at the heart 09:33.520 --> 09:36.349 of the supply chain and also saw many 09:36.359 --> 09:38.729 needed an economic life raft to stay 09:38.739 --> 09:42.419 afloat . Small businesses are the core 09:42.429 --> 09:45.130 of our support in order to provide this 09:45.140 --> 09:47.251 equipment so quickly because they can 09:47.251 --> 09:49.940 move in an agile and fast fashion . We 09:49.950 --> 09:52.729 were postured to use a variety of 09:52.739 --> 09:54.739 different tools to understand which 09:54.739 --> 09:57.215 companies were uh completely shut down , 09:57.224 --> 09:59.715 had limited access to their employees . 09:59.724 --> 10:01.835 We changed payment structures in some 10:01.835 --> 10:04.057 cases to , to advance funds uh to those 10:04.057 --> 10:06.057 folks to help keep them afloat . Um 10:06.057 --> 10:08.113 because we knew that we'd eventually 10:08.113 --> 10:10.280 commit a pandemic and we'd need them . 10:10.280 --> 10:10.215 In fact , during the pandemic , we grow , 10:10.224 --> 10:13.594 grew about 10% our small business um 10:13.604 --> 10:15.875 efforts . So uh the good news story 10:15.885 --> 10:19.349 across the board and DL A 10:19.359 --> 10:22.130 executed face shield orders in record 10:22.140 --> 10:24.469 time . While testing for the virus 10:24.479 --> 10:26.929 meant millions of swabs were needed . 10:27.309 --> 10:30.340 The White House next focused on 15,000 10:30.349 --> 10:33.169 nursing homes , seeing the expanding 10:33.179 --> 10:35.235 workload . The Department of Defense 10:35.235 --> 10:38.020 Controller authorized a $1 billion 10:38.030 --> 10:40.330 spending limit increase for Dlas 10:40.340 --> 10:43.630 COVID-19 response purchases . It made 10:43.640 --> 10:46.960 perfect sense to continue to increase 10:46.969 --> 10:48.802 the obligation authority to DL A 10:48.802 --> 10:51.630 because we had the experience and the 10:51.640 --> 10:55.200 expertise to buy on behalf 10:55.210 --> 10:56.969 of the nation 10:59.940 --> 11:03.900 by June 2020 D had expedited more 11:03.909 --> 11:07.609 than 13,000 contract actions while also 11:07.619 --> 11:10.080 finding millions of excess military 11:10.090 --> 11:12.429 materials to reutilize across the 11:12.440 --> 11:15.450 country . The following months saw the 11:15.460 --> 11:18.679 missions grow in material volumes and 11:18.690 --> 11:21.200 delivery destinations around the globe 11:22.750 --> 11:25.570 received some of the first vaccines for 11:25.580 --> 11:28.200 our military at home and abroad and 11:28.210 --> 11:30.710 adapted to meet the sub zero delivery 11:30.719 --> 11:32.909 mandate . Cold chain management 11:32.919 --> 11:34.975 especially once the code of vaccines 11:34.975 --> 11:37.770 came into play was huge . But one of 11:37.780 --> 11:40.002 the great things about being here at DL 11:40.002 --> 11:42.659 troop support , medical is the dod cold 11:42.669 --> 11:44.789 chain expert from the entire dod 11:45.330 --> 11:47.799 resides in this medical supply chain . 11:47.809 --> 11:49.976 We certainly understood the cold chain 11:49.976 --> 11:52.031 management piece of it . The biggest 11:52.031 --> 11:54.253 difference was maintaining the minus 20 11:54.253 --> 11:56.309 temperature . There were temperature 11:56.309 --> 11:58.142 tails put on it so that we could 11:58.142 --> 12:00.198 determine whether or not there was a 12:00.198 --> 12:02.365 compromise in moving the material from 12:02.365 --> 12:05.890 Susquehanna to any location . When the 12:05.900 --> 12:07.960 White House purchased test kits from 12:07.969 --> 12:10.136 multiple suppliers . They looked to do 12:10.299 --> 12:12.909 distribution for accountability and 12:12.919 --> 12:15.580 dispersement with the US Postal Service . 12:15.830 --> 12:18.760 We could command and control the vast 12:18.770 --> 12:21.010 amount of COVID test kits by utilizing 12:21.020 --> 12:23.187 two different locations . One that was 12:23.187 --> 12:25.187 on the west coast in California and 12:25.187 --> 12:27.409 another that was here in Pennsylvania . 12:27.409 --> 12:29.353 So the final result was the United 12:29.353 --> 12:31.520 States Postal Service sending out over 12:31.520 --> 12:34.096 731 million tests to the American 12:34.106 --> 12:37.645 people . Usaid enlisted for 12:37.656 --> 12:39.976 international support to parts of South 12:39.986 --> 12:43.226 America , Africa and South Asia . More 12:43.236 --> 12:46.236 than 35 countries in all south comm as 12:46.245 --> 12:47.995 the pandemic proceeded , had a 12:48.005 --> 12:50.562 tremendous need for hospitals or to see 12:50.572 --> 12:52.739 or treat patients and they didn't need 12:52.739 --> 12:54.850 just hospitals , but they needed them 12:54.850 --> 12:56.961 mobile . They needed them movable and 12:56.961 --> 12:59.183 they needed them to be able to be stood 12:59.183 --> 13:01.350 up very quickly . The country of India 13:01.350 --> 13:03.711 was in dire need and requested any 13:03.721 --> 13:05.943 support that we could provide . We were 13:05.943 --> 13:08.054 able to support countries as far away 13:08.054 --> 13:10.541 as Nepal India , as well as South 13:10.552 --> 13:12.322 America with vaccines . 13:15.349 --> 13:17.469 In the end , the funding tools , the 13:17.479 --> 13:19.900 supplier relationships and the DLA 13:19.909 --> 13:22.229 structure stood tall to serve our 13:22.239 --> 13:25.989 forces , our nation and the world from 13:26.000 --> 13:29.700 the very get go until the vaccine was 13:29.750 --> 13:31.917 if you will developed . And even after 13:31.917 --> 13:33.972 the vaccine was developed , this has 13:33.972 --> 13:36.139 been a logistics fight and d was there 13:36.139 --> 13:38.361 from the beginning and it really helped 13:38.361 --> 13:40.528 the nation get through this . I do not 13:40.528 --> 13:42.528 believe that any other organization 13:42.528 --> 13:44.694 provided the magnitude of support that 13:44.694 --> 13:46.750 do provided . We evolved into a near 13:46.750 --> 13:48.972 wartime footing with our personnel . It 13:48.972 --> 13:51.139 was 24 7 taking what we already had in 13:51.139 --> 13:53.306 place , expanding it . But just a true 13:53.306 --> 13:55.744 amount of dedication and effort and 13:55.755 --> 13:58.789 grit shipping . That PP the nursing 13:58.799 --> 14:01.021 home was when there was a lot of people 14:01.021 --> 14:03.021 dying was an important , incredibly 14:03.021 --> 14:05.132 important mission . Something that we 14:05.132 --> 14:07.188 couldn't fail at our folks nonstop , 14:07.188 --> 14:09.188 touch everything that you see , you 14:09.188 --> 14:11.169 turn the TV on , I promise you D A 14:11.210 --> 14:13.377 distribution is having something to do 14:13.380 --> 14:15.500 with any events happening worldwide . 14:15.539 --> 14:17.659 What we do here matters , we can 14:17.669 --> 14:19.613 support and help what we're seeing 14:19.613 --> 14:21.669 happening across the world . We're a 14:21.669 --> 14:23.669 part of that solution and a part of 14:23.669 --> 14:25.558 that solution that you can't find 14:25.558 --> 14:27.780 anywhere else . Not only exists here at 14:27.780 --> 14:26.799 D A .