- DLA Disposition Services
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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.[1]
Contents
History
A congressional report in 1972 recommended centralizing the disposal of United States Department of Defense (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.
Functions
DLA Disposition Services disposes of the military's excess property. It does this through:[1]
- reutilization within the DoD
- transfer to other federal agencies
- donation to state and local governments
Excess materiel may also be used for:
- emergency management in the US
- humanitarian aid 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 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.[1][2]
Iraq waste controversy
In 2010 an investigation by The Times 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.[2] 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."[3] 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."[3]
References
- ^ a b c "About DLA Disposition Services". DLA Disposition Services. January 27, 2011. http://www.drms.dla.mil/about.shtml. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ a b August, Oliver (14 June 2010). "Blisters, rashes and toxic waste - the US Army's dirty little secret in Iraq". The Times (London): p. 8.
- ^ a b August, Oliver (15 June 2010). "Military to punish toxic waste dump culprits". The Times (London): p. 33.
External links
Categories:- United States Department of Defense agencies
- Military logistics of the United States
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