DLA saves Holloman $5 million Published July 13, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Siuta B. Ika 49th Wing Public Affairs HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- For those members of Team Holloman in charge of purchasing equipment for their respective shops, staying within a set budget can prove difficult and often times results in the purchase of less than desirable items. Whether a shop needs nuclear ordnance conversion kits, underwater sound equipment, power-driven hand tools, office supplies or uniform items, the Defense Logistics Agency can provide these items and more -- free of charge. "The DLA runs a reutilization website which allows other Department of Defense members to turn in equipment to them and they make it available to different organizations in each branch of the military," said Staff Sgt. Nathan Darke, former 49th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department logistics NCO in-charge. "In many cases, the equipment is brand new. It's free for the taking and free to ship, so why not use it?" Last fiscal year, the DLA website saved the base an estimated $5 million, said Darke. "Twelve members of Holloman requested over 1,400 line items, which can be one single item or 500 of an item," he said. "Some of those items were at the end of their life cycle but a lot of the items were brand new -- some without a box and some never opened." Any unit's Government Purchase Card holder with their squadron commander's approval can get equipment from the system. After placing a request online, the equipment will ship to the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron's receiving dock and will be available for pick up by the requester. Although the DLA program can save the base millions of dollars every year, many units do not use the system, said Darke. "The past year there were only 12 people that were actively using the web site -- that's only 12 units -- this could be a much bigger program," he said. "While 12 people did $5 million in business in one year, we could have easily surpassed $20 million if more units would explore the website and come to understand the benefits of the system, especially the large units that are not participating at this time." The system tremendously benefits units trying to acquire equipment on a tight budget, Darke said. "It is the best way to stretch your unit's budget because you can get very expensive equipment that you would never be able to put into your budget at all," he said. "We have all seen our budgets get smaller and needed a program like this to keep our units going. I believe it has benefitted our wing and Air Combat Command because we have received about $5 million in equipment. That is direct savings that can be used for infrastructure improvements and lower the deployment funding requests to ACC. With a little vision and imagination, DLA allows us to project beyond the budget restraints of any unit." Personally, Darke has used the DLA system to get warfighter deployment equipment, personal issue gear, personal protective equipment and everyday consumables for four fire stations and more than 85 49th CE firefighting personnel. "We have received a variety of items, everything from the two-part blue folders that every office on this base has all the way up to semi-trailers," he said. "We've received a diesel tanker for our Hazardous Material response team to practice on HAZMAT mitigations. We've also established a bench-stock of items for deployers in case of short-notice deployments, which happens here because we are a very high-tasked base." Col. Robert Cole, 49th Mission Support Group commander, shared his thoughts on the DLA system and the base's use of it. "It's great to see Airmen like Staff Sergeant Darke taking initiative to help the 49th Wing be a good steward of federal property and money," he said. "Through this program, we're able to sustain, maintain and advance the mission by using equipment and resources the DoD already had. The outcome has been incredible." Any GPC card holders interested in learning more about DLA and what it has to offer, can contact Terry Dale at Holloman's Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office at 575-572-3748.