Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service
Encyclopedia
DLA Disposition Services (formerly known as the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service) is part of the United States Defense Logistics Agency
. Headquartered at Battle Creek, Michigan
, the organization provides personnel to support the US military in 16 overseas deployments, including Iraq
and Afghanistan
, 2 US territories (Guam
and Puerto Rico
) and 41 states.
(DoD) property for better accountability. In response, on September 12, 1972, the Defense Supply Agency (now known as the Defense Logistics Agency) established the Defense Property Disposal Service (renamed the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service in 1985) in Battle Creek, Michigan
, as a primary-level field activity. On July 19, 2010, as part of a "We Are DLA" initiative, the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service was renamed the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services.
Excess materiel
may also be used for:
Excess property that is not disposed of in these ways may be subsequently offered for sale to the public.
DLA Disposition Services is also responsible for the management and disposal of hazardous
property for DoD activities, maximizing the use of each item and minimizing environmental risks and costs, and retains a legal responsibility for DoD waste even after it has been passed on to private contractors.
newspaper in five Iraqi provinces discovered that hazardous waste from US bases was being dumped locally rather than transported back to the US by ship via the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr
or recycled in purpose built facilities in northern and western Iraq, as required by DoD rules. Major General
Kendall P. Cox Sr., responsible for engineering and infrastructure in Iraq, said: "As you know we have been here for over seven years. In that period we have accumulated several million pounds of hazardous waste… I think perhaps the lesson is that we create hazardous waste treatment centers earlier if there is a potential for us to have a long-term presence." Brigadier General
Stephen R. Lanza, the US military spokesman in Iraq, said "Those responsible for this will be punished. It is something that once brought to our attention, we take very seriously."
Defense Logistics Agency
The Defense Logistics Agency is an agency in the United States Department of Defense, with more than 26,000 civilian and military personnel throughout the world...
. Headquartered at Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, the organization provides personnel to support the US military in 16 overseas deployments, including Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, 2 US territories (Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
) and 41 states.
History
A congressional report in 1972 recommended centralizing the disposal of United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
(DoD) property for better accountability. In response, on September 12, 1972, the Defense Supply Agency (now known as the Defense Logistics Agency) established the Defense Property Disposal Service (renamed the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service in 1985) in Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, as a primary-level field activity. On July 19, 2010, as part of a "We Are DLA" initiative, the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service was renamed the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services.
Functions
DLA Disposition Services disposes of the military's excess property. It does this through:- reutilization within the DoD
- transfer to other federal agencies
- donation to state and local governments
Excess materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
may also be used for:
- emergency managementEmergency managementEmergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
in the US - humanitarian aidHumanitarian aidHumanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
worldwide - foreign military sales programs
Excess property that is not disposed of in these ways may be subsequently offered for sale to the public.
DLA Disposition Services is also responsible for the management and disposal of hazardous
Hazardous waste
A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
property for DoD activities, maximizing the use of each item and minimizing environmental risks and costs, and retains a legal responsibility for DoD waste even after it has been passed on to private contractors.
Iraq waste controversy
In 2010 an investigation by The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper in five Iraqi provinces discovered that hazardous waste from US bases was being dumped locally rather than transported back to the US by ship via the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr , is a port city in southern Iraq. It stands on the canalised Khawr az-Zubayr, part of the Khawr Abd Allah estuary which leads to the Persian Gulf. It is separated from the border of Kuwait by a small inlet...
or recycled in purpose built facilities in northern and western Iraq, as required by DoD rules. Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Kendall P. Cox Sr., responsible for engineering and infrastructure in Iraq, said: "As you know we have been here for over seven years. In that period we have accumulated several million pounds of hazardous waste… I think perhaps the lesson is that we create hazardous waste treatment centers earlier if there is a potential for us to have a long-term presence." Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Stephen R. Lanza, the US military spokesman in Iraq, said "Those responsible for this will be punished. It is something that once brought to our attention, we take very seriously."