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“ NAVSUP is the US Navy ’ s central supply chain activity ; we provide some portions directly to the Navy and there are other services , such as spare and repair parts , that we integrate from suppliers ,” Kurt opens . “ We ’ re responsible for several aspects of the Navy ’ s supply chain , such as fuels , food services , ordinance stockpiles , and repair or spare parts for all Navy ships , submarines , aircraft , and nuclear powers .
“ We also run various services to support service members and their families during and throughout relocation . We have two small hotel chains , for instance , and we operate the Navy Exchange , which is a network of 300 department-like stores that provide families with the essential items they need to run their lives as seamlessly as possible while they or a family member is stationed at one of our bases around the world .
“ For areas of the supply chain where we ’ re reliant on private businesses , I ’ ve implemented a new process where we meet regularly to have open conversations to identify the ways in which we ’ re succeeding together as well as those areas requiring improvement ,” he adds .
“ We have over 1000 suppliers just in the spare parts field for different weapon systems , for instance , so we must carefully manage these relationships . As these partnerships mature , we leverage new ways of working together to meet the demands of weapon systems as they become increasingly complex .”
Dedicated to service
Turning to his personal career journey , Kurt shares : “ I spent 26 years in uniform as a Navy Supply Corps Officer , and these officers are usually based onboard a ship or stationed at a naval base , and are responsible for providing supplies to the fleet . During this time , I held a variety of senior roles and assignments including responsibilities for the Chief of Naval Operations , the US Central Command , and NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE ), as well as serving on three ships : the USS LaSalle ( AGF 3 ), USS Underwood ( FFG 36 ), and USS Bataan ( LHD 5 ).”
In his last active-duty assignment , Kurt was the commanding officer of NAVSUP Business Systems Center , but afterwards
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