Huntsville Center’s Installation Support and Programs Management Directorate manages a maintenance and repair service program sustaining worldwide fueling capability to the Department of Defense and other agencies.
The Defense Logistics Agency-Fuels program provides maintenance, inspection, repair and emergency response actions at 212 DLA sites on military installations world-wide under the jurisdiction of DLA-Energy.
In 1980 DLA approached Huntsville Center to award contracts for the creation of operations and maintenance manuals for Defense Fuel Supply Center coastal sites. DLA then requested Huntsville Center develop a recurring maintenance contract to provide periodic and preventive maintenance and minor repair services and actions.
“The program will double in the next 12-18 months as more than 200 Air Force sites are brought into the recurring maintenance and minor repair program,” said Dennis Bacon, DLA-Fuels program manager.
“We are increasing our DLA-Fuels staff at Huntsville Center commensurate with the program requirements,” Bacon said. “We have the expertise and ability to support multi-service installations and customers in maintaining and repairing fueling equipment in compliance with federal, state and local code, criteria and regulations.”
Maintenance is executed in a decentralized manner with each DOD installation providing a “site representative” responsible for developing the scope and subsequent verification of work completion to standard.
The program provides additional quality assurance via the use of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers local district offices and periodic Huntsville Center visits as added checks and balances.
DLA Energy provides funding to the military services for sustainment, restoration and modernization and military construction for fuel-related projects to executing agents through centrally managed programs. Within USACE, Omaha District executes the MILCON, SRM, tank inspection, project and planning studies missions in support of DLA-Energy and the services.
As the program has grown, the DLA-Fuels team has experienced a great appreciation for the program which provides direct support to the U.S. military’s global deployment capability.
Bridget Knatt, DLA-Fuels administrative staff, is new to the Corps of Engineers and Huntsville Center, having come on board the program in July.
She said before getting involved with the program she had limited knowledge of the span of work Huntsville Center and ISPM does to support the U.S. military services.
“The Army Corps of Engineers is a new experience for me so I thought that the Corps was only about constructing buildings and dams,” she said. “Now, working on the DLA-Fuels team, I know that we provide services to many federal agencies such as the Defense Logistics Agency.”
Wes Trammell, DLA-Fuels lead engineer, said the fast-paced program requires a committed team working together to ensure the program’s success.
“Enjoying your job makes all the difference when you are involved with something as high speed as this program,” Trammell said. “The team atmosphere directly relates to the success of our program and ultimately to the support we are providing to DLA, the service control points and to the warfighter."