ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
In mid-November, more than 1,000 military logisticians from around the world will congregate in Washington, D.C., for the annual Logistics Officers Association National Conference.
For four days, Nov. 12 to 15, military, civilian, and contractor logisticians supporting all Department of Defense components will gather at the Washington Hilton for a time of professional development, technical education and camaraderie.
Discussion topics will include the Global War on Terrorism, Military Force Structure and Personnel Force Development. Attendees can expect a strong mix of expert speakers that include a series of current and former senior officers and many frank and open panel discussions.
Founded in 1982 by a small group of Air Force maintenance officers, with the purpose of enhancing the military logistics profession, LOA has expanded to include members from all logistics disciplines across all the services. While most of the over 3,500 members are more closely associated with the USAF, LOA boasts joint chapters, chapters at many deployed locations including Afghanistan and Iraq and even a chapter founded recently by logisticians within the Peruvian Air Force.
This year's conference, hosted by LOA's National Capital Chapter, marks the organization's 25th Anniversary. With the theme of Proud Past . . . Bright Future, organizers intend to provide a host of lessons from the past to equip and inspire logisticians as they meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. As Chapter Advisor, Major General Polly Peyer puts it, "Our vision is to provide attendees with firsthand knowledge and lessons learned so they can return to your units better prepared to dominate the future. I guarantee they will leave pumped up, ready to lead the logistics community into a bright future." Those interested in attending the conference can register at the LOA Web site www.loanational.org.
But conferences of this magnitude take a great deal of effort to execute. "We have a great team of people working to put together an outstanding conference," states Conference Chair Lt. Col. Deborah Liddick. "But the real workload surge occurs during the actual conference. I would ask all logisticians in the National Capital Region to consider volunteering to lend a hand at the conference." For those who do want to volunteer, they need to contact Lt. Col. Eric Froehlich at eric.Froehlich@pentagon.af.mil or email Lt. Col. David Rega at david.rega@pentagon.af.mil.