DLA Troop Support integrates AI to advance predictive analytics

The director of the Defense Logistics Agency returned to his former command in Philadelphia for a midyear review, urging an accelerated overhaul of military sustainment to meet “logistics readiness at the speed of war” and prepare for contested operations.

“We have to transform now, and we have to do it with a sense of urgency,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly. “The things we’ve done in the past, the processes that got us here, simply aren’t how we need to do things to be successful in the future. In the contested environment we face today, the status quo will not be acceptable. We have to be at the leading edge of innovation if we are to support the Warfighter effectively.”

Simerly met with DLA Troop Support leadership for a semiannual check on the Annual Operating Plan, focusing on modernizing and digitizing the organization’s four major supply chains—Subsistence, Medical, Clothing & Textiles, and Construction & Equipment. He framed the effort as part of a broader Pentagon push to rebuild capabilities and streamline internal processes, warning that a slow, risk-averse bureaucracy can stall innovation.

Central to the plan is the Digital Adoption Readiness Team initiative, designed to speed the use of digital tools, data-driven decision-making and modernized workflows. DART’s objectives include expanding workforce digital literacy, cutting reliance on manual processes and spreadsheets, and enabling predictive, real-time analytics to quicken and improve decisions.

“The DART initiative and the AI tools we have access to right now have created a solid foundation, but this is just the beginning,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Sean Kelly, DLA Troop Support commanding general. “The only thing holding us back is our imagination. My goal is that in a year, this initial phase will be in the rearview mirror, and we’ll be focused on more advanced predictive models that allow us to see around corners and truly anticipate the needs of the Warfighter.”

The transformation supports an agency-wide target to raise planned support accuracy for the services to 85% by September 2026. Locally, Troop Support is pursuing the elimination of analog processes, reductions in backorders and improvements in supplier on-time delivery.

“This is a huge technological change, and I understand that it’s very disruptive. But it is also absolutely necessary,” Simerly said. “We are moving from an age of reacting to supply chain problems to one where we can predict them. Old models of ‘just-in-time’ delivery are not on time in a contested fight. We have to prioritize and position materiel to ensure our forces have what they need, where they need it, before the battle even begins.”

He emphasized that modernization efforts aim to augment, not displace, the workforce. “Technology is a tool, but our people are the advantage we have,” Simerly said. “If we take care of our people and empower them with the right tools, they’ll take care of the mission every time.”

Guiding the effort is DLA’s “Sensor-Shooter-Sustainer-Supplier” framework, intended to connect real-time operational needs with the defense industrial base through an integrated, data-driven network.

“In a contested logistics environment, data is the currency of war. It’s as valuable as fuel, ammunition or any piece of equipment,” Simerly said. “Having visibility on our assets, using analytics to predict demand, and leveraging AI to identify potential disruptions before they happen is what gives us the advantage. Logistics is a battlefield imperative.”