Defense Logistics Agency will put you on the map

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE. Fla. --  Napoleon Bonaparte said, "An army travels on its stomach," but even the well fed can't get to where they are going without a good map.

Good, current maps are the stock and trade of the Defense Logistics Agency at MacDill Air Force Base, and too few realize the service exists, said Army Staff Sgt. Tiffany Broussard, an accounting specialist with the DoD agency.

Located in an office on the opposite side of the street from Hangar 4, the office is staffed by four Army personnel and one civilian, and serves much of the southeastern region of the U.S. It provides electronic and paper copies of land maps, along with nautical and aerospace charts.

The charts and maps are free to U.S. military and government agencies, and 11,000 printed and electronic products are in stock at the MacDill office, which serves as the Tampa regional distribution center. Products are provided in classified and non-classified versions, and distributed based on the security clearance of the person or agency seeking them.

"The Coast Guard is our biggest customer, followed by U.S. Central Command," said Sergeant Broussard. "If we don't have it, it's available through Richmond (Virginia, the central distributor for the DLA)."

The DLA maintains an inventory of 73,000 products, covering every square inch of the world. While many of those maps and charts have remained the same for years, others are updated frequently to serve the logistics and intelligence needs of today.

Aerospace charts change every three months, said Sergeant Broussard. Maps and charts detailing active regions of the Middle East also change frequently, providing the most current data available for military operations.

With so much useful data on hand, Sergeant Broussard is surprised that so many critical units and agencies on base are not aware the service is on site.

"We had someone from CENTCOM who had been trying to put together a presentation and had been here for six years before he found us," she said. "We had everything he was looking for."

NOAA is another big customer. The Homeland Security Agency uses the office, and the 6th Operations Group is another customer. One agency obtained current maps of Haiti following the earthquake there last year, helping it support the recovery and rescue efforts in the island nation.

When the DLA office was established at MacDill in 1985, the majority of the products on hand were printed, but over the years the percentage of digital products has increased greatly. Digital maps and charts now go onto desktop and laptop computers, often traveling into the field with government agency and military personnel. Many of these products are used in conjunction with GPS devices and software and provide navigational capabilities.

"We want everyone to know we are here and what we can provide," said Sergeant Broussard, adding that the DLA office can supply any need for maps and charts by coordinating through one or more of its 22 distribution centers worldwide.

The DLA office at MacDill is open weekdays and is on call after hours for priority needs. The number is 828-4515.