Defense Logistics Agency assumes procurement mission at Hill AFB Published June 19, 2008 By Debra Bingham Defense Supply Center Richmond Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- A June 17 activation ceremony at the Hill Aerospace Museum marked the transfer of 43 Air Force employees to Defense Logistics Agency. The employees, mostly contracting officers from the 448th Supply Chain Management Group, procure depot-level reparable aviation parts for Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill. They will officially begin working for Defense Logistics Agency, or DLA, June 22. Congress mandated the transfer of depot-level procurement responsibility from military service aviation depots to DLA as part of the Base Realignment and Closure 2005 legislation. Under that same law, Ogden Air Logistics Center will also transfer supply, storage and distribution functions to the agency in July, with 232 more Air Force employees moving to DLA; most of the transferring employees will continue at their present jobs. One of the Air Force employees transferring to the DLA is Pamela Day. She will serve as the chief contracting officer for depot-level reparable procurement. Ms. Day had been an Air Force employee at Hill AFB since 1985, and was chief of contracting for various Ogden ALC organizations before they came under the umbrella of the Air Force's Global Logistics Support Center in March. Ms. Day said the transition of procurement functions to DLA will ultimately benefit warfighters. "This is an opportunity for joint strategic contracts; to reduce the number of tactical buys and increase the number of strategic buys," Ms. Day said. "Strategic buys combine tactical buys and give more leverage power with suppliers and more stability in the supply chain as well as lowering resources and the cost of items." Yvette Burke, a member of the Senior Executive Service and the chief acquisition executive at Defense Supply Center Richmond, will oversee the depot-level reparable mission for DLA. The Richmond site is the aviation supply and demand chain manager for DLA. Ms. Burke called the transfer of people and functions a milestone event, and said the activation represents a joint effort between the Air Force and DLA. "To the transferring employees, we welcome you and we value your expertise," Ms. Burke said. "We do not and will not take you for granted. Depot level reparable items are essential to helping our customers maintain mission readiness. We must make sure that when customers need depot level reparables that we work to ensure they get the parts they need," she continued. "Part of providing the support they need is communicating with them on a regular basis, briefing them on the status and it requires us to help them with forecasting their needs." DLA officials visited Hill AFB in December 2007 to meet with Air Force Materiel Command officials and kick off BRAC activities there. The activation of DLA Ogden next month will be the third instance of an AFMC air logistics center implementing the BRAC supply storage and distribution mandate. DLA Warner Robins stood up in October 2007, and DLA Oklahoma City in February.