What is the difference between Army Materiel Command and Defense Logistics Agency?

Answer 1

AMC operates the research, development and engineering centers; Army Research Laboratory; depots; arsenals; ammunition plants; and other facilities; and maintains the Army's prepositioned stocks, both on land and afloat. The command is also the Department of Defense Executive Agent for the chemical weapons stockpile and for conventional ammunition. AMC also handles the majority of the Army's contracting including a full range of contracting services for deployed units and installation-level services, supplies and common-use information technology hardware and software. AMC operates in 42 states and roughly 155 countries, employing in excess of 66,000 military and civilians.

DLA provides logistics support to US Military, civilian agencies, and foreign countries for peace and wartime operations, as well as emergency preparedness and humanitarian missions. With some 23,000 military and civilian employees working in 48 states and 28 countries, the DLA supplies almost every consumable item the US military needs such as food, clothing, protective gear, medical supplies, construction materials, and fuel. It also supplies 95% of repair parts for aircraft, tanks, and other weapons.

While both are relatively similar, DLA provides for the breadth of Services and AMC's main focus is Army support. Both deal in commodities, materiels, munitions, and humanitarian efforts; as well as maintaining depots, stockpiles, contracting, and disposal efforts. Prior to Operation DS, DLA supported efforts by providing most of the supplies in those first critical months. Depending on the situation, stock can be pulled from either DLA or AMC. Nevertheless, DLA supports only a fraction of the supply and contracting effort for the Army.