https://crsreports.congress.gov
December 15, 2020
Defense Primer: The Defense Logistics Agency
Established under Title 10, Sections 191 and 192, of the
United States Code (U.S.C.), the Defense Logistics Agency
(DLA) is a single Department of Defense (DOD) agency
responsible for supply or service activities common to all
military departments. Section 193 of Title 10 identifies
DLA as a combat support agency, a designation that
according to DLA, “gives DLA a formal oversight
relationship with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and allows combatant commanders to request specific
support from the agency.” Under these authorities, the
agency manages the global supply chain for DOD and its
partners by providing procurement, storage, distribution,
disposition, and other technical services to its customers.
DLA is one of several organizations that are essential to the
Joint Logistics Enterprise (see Joint Publication 4-0).
DLA is headquartered in Fort Belvoir, VA. The agency
operates in most U.S. states and territories and in 28 foreign
countries (Figure 1). Annually, it provides more than $42
billion worth of goods and services to DOD, other federal
agencies, and partner and allied nations. DLA states it
“supplies 86 percent of the military’s spare parts, and nearly
100 percent of fuel and troop support consumables,
manages the reutilization of military equipment, provides
catalogs and other logistics information products, and offers
document automation and production services.” Through
established DOD programs, DLA can also support tribal,
state, and local government agencies.
Figure 1. Distribution of DLA Employees, April 2020
Source: CRS graphic based on DLA data.
Major Responsibilities
DLA’s primary purpose is to meet the logistics
requirements of the armed forces for food, clothing, fuel,
parts, and other items. Its major responsibilities are to “(1)
buy or contract, (2) warehouse when needed and (3)
distribute about 5 million distinct consumable, expendable
and reparable items” to its military customers. The agency
contracts for high-volume, commercially available items
based on customer requirements. It then distributes these
items directly to the requesting customer (e.g., a shipyard or
maintenance depot), or stores them for later delivery. DLA
also allows customers to order supplies directly from
integrated supply chain contractors if they are an approved
provider through the Prime Vendor Program (Figure 2).
Figure 2. DLA Supply Chain Management Process
Source: Government Accountability Office (GAO-02-776).
DLA delivery of items typically includes supplementary
services like warehousing, packaging, and transportation.
Energy Products and Services
DLA exclusively procures and manages energy products for
DOD including bulk petroleum-products (i.e., petroleum,
oil, and lubricants, or POL), coal, natural gas, electricity,
alternative fuels, and missile fuels. DLA Energy (DLA-E)
is the DLA subordinate command that performs this
function by securing vendor contracts for energy products,
managing product inventory, and ensuring the delivery of
those products to its customers worldwide. DLA-E also
provides energy-related services to military installations
including energy acquisition support and utilities
contracting. In addition to bulk petroleum fuels and
electricity, DLA-E provides propellants, cryogenics, and
gases for military weapons systems and space programs.
National Defense Stockpile
The National Defense Stockpile (NDS)—established in 50
U.S.C. §98 et seq.—is a non-fuel, raw materials-based
stockpile that “protects against a costly dependence upon
foreign and single points of supply for strategic and critical
materials needed in times of national emergency.” DOD
periodically stockpiles 48 commodities in the NDS—
mainly base and precious metals—that are critical to
defense needs. DLA Strategic Materials (DLA-SM) is
responsible for managing the NDS and is required to
provide a report to Congress every two years on stockpile
requirements. The last report was submitted to Congress in
January 2019.
