FORT BELVOIR, Va., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Robert Hale, the under secretary of defense (comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, will be one of the keynote speakers at the Defense Logistics Agency's Enterprise Supplier Conference and Exhibition held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 23-25.

Hale will speak at the conference Aug. 25 and talk about the need to implement cost-cutting measures across the Department of Defense to support warfighter requirements during his presentation, "Tail to Tooth: Making Every Defense Dollar Count."

Besides Hale, Frank Kendall, the deputy under secretary of defense (acquisition and technology), and Alan Estevez, principal assistant deputy under secretary of defense (logistics & materiel readiness) will also be featured speakers. Other guest speakers include Shay Assad, DoD's director of Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy; Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command; and Patrick Fitzgerald, director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

This year's conference theme is "Globally Responsive Forward Support," highlighting DLA's role in providing worldwide logistics support and the need for continued collaborative leadership supporting the global supply chain with greater efficiency and at reduced cost.

Employees from all of the agency's supply chains -- fuel/energy; land systems; maritime systems; troop support; aviation; subsistence; clothing and textile; and construction and equipment -- and other field activities will be there to discuss a variety of topics, including how to do business with DLA and how the agency is using innovation and research to improve supply chain management.

Conference attendees will also have a chance to attend sessions to receive an overview of each supply chain and learn more about the agency's Performance Based Logistics capabilities.

Other workshop sessions feature presentations on collaborative forecasting and procurement integrity. There will be an acquisition specialist panel discussion Aug. 24-25 in which panelists will discuss ways businesses can improve their relationship with DLA. There will also be a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) town hall on August 25th. Representatives from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) will also attend the conference and give a presentation on how the organization supports DLA's contracts and suppliers.

In addition, the agency will honor 22 industry partners, customers and individuals Aug. 24 during its Business Alliance Award ceremony.

For additional information, or to register or arrange exhibit space, go to the National Defense Industrial Association website at www.ndia.org/meetings/0780/Pages/default.aspx.

As the Department of Defense's combat logistics support agency, DLA provides the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies, and joint and allied forces with a variety of logistics, acquisition and technical services. The agency sources and provides nearly 100 percent of the consumable items America's military forces need to operate, from food, fuel and energy, to uniforms, medical supplies, and construction and barrier equipment. DLA also supplies about 85 percent of the military's spare parts.

Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., DLA has about 26,000 employees worldwide. DLA's business revenues were nearly $38 billion in Fiscal Year 2009. For more information about DLA, go to www.dla.mil or www.facebook.com/dla.mil.

SOURCE Defense Logistics Agency