DVIDS – News – 2024 DoD Maintenance Symposium: Advancing the Sustainment Enterprise for Global Competitive Advantage

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Held December 10-13, 2024, the DoD Maintenance Symposium brought together over 3,000 maintenance and sustainment professionals from across the services, industry, government agencies, academia, and our allies and partners in pursuit of advancing the sustainment enterprise for global competitive advantages.

Day one of the symposium kicked off with opening remarks from Patrick Kelleher, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness, followed by a combatant command panel on the topic of structuring the sustainment enterprise to win in contested environments. Representing the Air Force on the panel was Brig. Gen. George “Dutch” Dietrich III, Director of Logistics, United States Africa Command.

“Events like this are so important because when you bring together the subject matter experts from the government, industry, and academia you can start to get after problems quickly,” said Brig. Gen. Dietrich. “Nothing solves problems faster than getting all the right people in the room together.”

Day two brought more leaders together in the same room during the senior logistics roundtable discussion. Moderated by Steven Morani, Acting Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, the panel hosted a senior leader from each service. Representing the Air Force was Lt. Gen. Stacey Hawkins, Commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center.

During the panel, each service highlighted the implementation of new and emerging industrial base initiatives, strategies, and approaches. Lt. Gen. Hawkins specifically hit on the Global Enterprise Network for Universal Sustainment (GENUS). As an effort aimed at increasing depot-level maintenance capacity in the Indo-Pacific, GENUS further builds defense industrial base resilience with partner nations such as Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

In the afternoon, Lt. Gen. Hawkins led the United States Air Force Town Hall alongside Air Logistics Complex leaders: Maj. Gen. Kenyon Bell, Commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Complex; Brig. Gen. Brian Moore, Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex; and Brig. Gen. Jon Eberlan, Commander, Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex.

Together, they discussed what they are doing to get after maintenance and sustainment challenges within the Air Force enterprise, lessons learned, and what it takes to succeed. The biggest takeaway from the town hall was that we are stronger together. We must work alongside industry and our allies and partners to win.

Concluding the symposium, days three and four were focused on small group sessions. Sessions were held on the Air Force Repair Enhancement Program (AFREP), operationalizing Condition Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+), the new Air Force Software Directorate, and more.

The most significant takeaway from the 2024 DoD Maintenance Symposium was the importance of the connections made. “Events like this are all about the relationships and the network you cultivate with your peers,” said Kim Brown, Deputy Director of Logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering & Force Protection, Headquarters, Air Force. “It is all about understanding each other’s challenges and gaining synergy through lessons learned and shared ideas so no one has to reinvent the wheel.”