AI enhances Defense Logistics Agency’s end-to-end operations, CIO says

Greater adoption and use of artificial intelligence tools to streamline services for the U.S. military will enable warfighters to focus more effectively on high-level operations, according to the technology lead of the Pentagon agency that manages the global supply chain for the armed forces.

Speaking at the Appian Government 2025 summit on Thursday, Adarryl Roberts — chief information officer for the Defense Logistics Agency — called AI a force multiplier for the Department of Defense that will likely deliver a range of enhanced benefits, from mission support to procurement optimization.

Roberts noted that the agency already handles “about 10,000 automated contract orders per day,” but said “the next step for us is, ‘How do you keep your purchase orders or contracts in an automated fashion without having to kick out for a human to go and fix it?’”

The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point when it came to the agency’s use of new technologies, Roberts explained, saying “we wanted to move from the reactionary to the predictive model in terms of how we support this nation, and that’s where AI and automation plays a major part in what we’re going to do moving forward as an agency.”

DLA previously said in March that it was exploring more than 200 use cases for AI and has “over 55 models in various stages of production, testing and use in areas like demand planning and supply chain risk management.”

In line with the AI action plan rolled out by the Trump administration in July, Roberts said DLA is focused on accelerating AI adoption across DOD. This approach, he added, is different from some other agencies’ AI-related pushes, since DLA is prioritizing an end-to-end initiative that does not simply rely on the use of generative AI tools. 

Roberts added that “our focus was, ‘How do we justify our investment in AI focusing on deterministic models, which lead to a high degree of confidence in the output of those models?’” 

DLA manages nine different supply chains, and Roberts said the idea is to ensure that AI tools provide more than “a common operating picture or visualization for leadership.” He added, for instance, that he wants dockworkers “to understand how AI and automation and digitization helps drive their performance.”

These types of far-reaching AI uses depend upon a technologically savvy workforce that can successfully use the tools. Roberts said “we’re investing in what we call digital acumen — data acumen tied with your tech acumen — to create digital citizens that embrace and lead the automation and AI of DLA.”

And this focus on embracing the use of emerging capabilities extends beyond just DLA personnel. 

“We’re really looking to put the AI and the automation technology in the hands of the operator, because they know the mission, they know the problem,” Roberts said. “And we need to move at pace to keep up with our adversaries in China and Russia.”