DLA Troop Support convenes subsistence field representatives summit

The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support brought 13 Subsistence Field Representatives to Philadelphia for a three-day summit July 21-23, aiming to strengthen on-the-ground support for military feeding operations and share best practices shaped by field needs.

Subsistence supply chain Director, Navy Capt. Tim Griffin, underscored the group’s frontline role. “The Subsistence Field Reps are indispensable members of our team. They’re often times tasked with resolving critical issues for warfighters in real-time that wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have them physically present in our major Fleet and Garrison concentration areas.”

DLA Troop Support Executive Director for Contracting and Acquisition Management William Kenny opened the event with a call for collaboration and knowledge-sharing. “The knowledge you gain during this summit, and insight you share, will help ensure DLA Troop Support remains a trusted partner to industry and most importantly, our customers,” said Kenny. “I hope you enjoy the next three days. Walk around, meet some new folks, leave with new ideas and stronger connections for what lies ahead.”

The agency said the gatherings have been intermittent since the COVID-19 pandemic. “We held one in late 2023, December 2025 and going forward will plan yearly for July starting in 2026,” said Subsistence Chief of Continental United States Garrison Feeding Customer Operations Division Lauren Austin. “Summits are tailored each time to the needs and requests of the attendees.”

Field representatives are positioned across regions within the continental United States and support military feeding programs, including oversight of fresh produce for deployed forces. Experience levels among the cohort range from newcomers to veterans with more than four decades in the role. “Across all 13 reps, we have over 400 years of government service with over 200 of those years dedicated to DLA service,” said Austin.

For many attendees, the summit offers a rare chance to connect in person with headquarters staff. “We work with everyone in Philadelphia year-round, but we don’t get to see their faces,” said Customer Specialist Andrew Pisney. “It is like being customer facing out in the field- when you meet that person you build that personal relationship.” Pisney, based in Lime Springs, Iowa, serves the Midwest region and said face-to-face time with customers remains a highlight of the job. “It is different when you just pick up a phone to talk to somebody clear across the country, than if you talk to a person in their operation. I can be there and assist them one on one.”

Agenda items, built from representatives’ requests, included sessions with the audit team, breakout tables, and discussions on the Buyer’s Guide and the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans—topics many said they had not previously covered in a formal setting.

“They do an incredible job supporting warfighters in competition, and we’ve leaned on them heavily,” said Griffin. “No two days are alike for our Field Reps, we’re incredibly fortunate to have them in the field supporting our customers.”