Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Weapon Systems Support (WSS) Vice Commander Lynn Kohl recently visited three of NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Sigonella’ s strategic sites in Spain, Italy, and Scotland.

“Ms. Kohl’s visit allowed NAVSUP FLC Sigonella to benefit from her wealth of knowledge and experience, as she shared thoughtful insights about our plans to expand our mission in terms of capacity, capability, and effectiveness to support current and future operations across our area of responsibility,” said NAVSUP FLC Sigonella Commanding Officer Capt. Shannon W. Walker.

The visit was broken into three separate locations. The first stop was at NAVSUP FLC Sigonella’s operational site on Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership.

During the visit, Kohl participated in discussions related to ongoing forward stock positioning initiatives, roundtable leadership and mentorship sessions, engagement with NAVSTA Rota leadership, and the presentation of awards to host nation partner, civilian and military personnel.

“In Rota we perform tactical actions to meet operational objectives with a desired end state of providing strategic options for the Commander,” said Cmdr. Bert Phillips, NAVSUP FLC Sigonella Rota director. “We need to take advantage of the growing capacity, capability and readiness NAVSTA Rota offers with our mission partners as the size, scale and scope of our mission increases within this area of responsibility.”

Site Rota is one of NAVSUP FLC Sigonella’s five logistics sites positioned across the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF). Site Rota provides supply chain management, bulk and aviation fueling capability, material handling equipment, contracting, hazardous material management, household goods and vehicle processing and postal operations to fleet, installation and other service components throughout the area of operations.

Next stop on the tour was to NAVSUP FLC Sigonella headquarters in Italy. NAVSUP FLC Sigonella is the lead for NAVEUR-NAVAF global logistics and husbanding services, traffic management, ocean terminal operations, postal/fleet mail centers, household goods, and other services related to transportation such as accountability for material handling equipment and border clearance and customs, covering 29 million square miles of land and sea operating spaces.

While visiting, Kohl was taken through the new Fleet Mail Center to see the postal operations. She also visited the Technical Assistance for Repairable Processing unit to review any barriers at that location. A working lunch was held at the “Ristorante Belle Etna” galley, which was named Best Outside-the-Continental-United States General Mess – the fifth time in the last six years. During lunch, there was a supply community roundtable to discuss the NAVSUP WSS mission and how the team supports the FLCs headquartered at eight locations around the world.

The final stop on the 12-day tour of NAVSUP FLC Sigonella locations was its cooperative security location at Defense Munitions Crombie, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Kohl met with NAVSUP FLC Sigonella Site Crombie Director John Day, and other members of NAVSUP FLC Sigonella Site Crombie’s logistics team to gain a better perspective on how NAVSUP can strategically support operational logistics in Europe’s High North.

“Our partnership with the United Kingdom makes it easy to work in this location,” said Day. “This location gives us many advantages as the Navy’s only operational advanced logistics support site.”

Site Crombie is NAVSUP FLC Sigonella’s cooperative security location strategically positioned to support NAVEUR-NAVAF, U.S. Sixth Fleet and Joint warfighters who routinely conduct operations with their High North allies and partners. From this trans-shipment hub, NAVSUP FLC Sigonella site Crombie’s logisticians and their mission partners enable the expansion of maritime sustainment through its key support services such as customs clearance, logistics re-supply, warehousing, transportation, inter-& intra-theater cargo and mail distribution.

“It was an honor to host Ms. Kohl as she toured NAVSUP FLC Sigonella’s sites in Italy, Spain and Scotland, as it allowed us the opportunity to discuss the impact of our initiatives and projects touching NAVSUP WSS equities,” said NAVSUP FLC Sigonella Executive Director Bonifacio Cabling. “Her insights into the end-to-end supply chain and ability to translate them into ground-level facts were an invaluable resource as we examined our strategic, operational and tactical visions to better understand how they can work together to better execute the NAVSUP mission.”

At all three locations Kohl held a leadership roundtable asking for any questions. Leaders at the table discussed ability to break down barriers that are standing in their way to reach various levels of operations in the area of responsibility. Other questions were asked and discussed in regards to leadership trainings, how to shift from just-in-time logistics to just-in-case logistics and finding long-term solutions rather than temporary fixes.

“With an ever-escalating operational tempo in support of simultaneous carrier strike group and amphibious ready group deployments, we are in the middle of a historic, logistical re-set here in NAVEUR-NAVAF. We see forward positioned stocks as critical to the current and future fight, reducing lead times and slashing costs as we provide crucial logistical support to our mission partners, NATO allies, and Joint and Naval warfighters,” said Walker.

“Hearing recommendations for how to best utilize our locations in this area of responsibility in order enhance our availabilities in the most strategic manner is something that cannot be learned without seeing the work firsthand,” said Kohl. “This was an incredible opportunity to see the work the FLCs do each and every day to support mission readiness.

NAVSUP FLC Sigonella is one of eight FLCs under Commander, NAVSUP, and provides a full range of solutions for logistics, business and support services to the U.S. Naval, Joint, NATO and Allied Forces across 14 enduring and forward operating sites; forward contingency and cooperative security locations in 13 countries in Europe and Africa. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, NAVSUP employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor & family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain Naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars.