COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime hosted its first Bombers Directorate Working Group July 29 – 30 at Defense Supply Center Columbus, in support of the U.S. Air Force B-1B and B-2 Strategic Bombers.
Thirty-four personnel attended the event, representing DLA Land and Maritime, DLA Aviation and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Bombers Directorate out of Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The aim of the working group was to improve communication between DLA and the Air Force to provide the best support possible for both critical platforms, aligning with the Defense Department's focus on delivering warfighter readiness and achieving strategic deterrence.
DLA Land and Maritime directly supports about 33,000 parts for the B-1B Lancer – the backbone of America's long-range bomber force – and nearly 26,000 parts for the B-2 Spirit – a multi-role ‘stealth’ bomber that delivers both conventional and nuclear munitions.
The support provided by the DLA Land and Maritime and Aviation teams recently resulted in a successful overseas operation. Autumn Hutchison, director of logistics for the AFLCMC Bombers Directorate, personally thanked the team during the visit, for all the prioritized efforts that took place to make that happen.
During the two-day event, DLA Maritime Supplier Operations and DLA Land Supplier Operations provided overview briefs on procurement and demand forecasting for each part of the aircraft, while the DLA Land and Maritime Analytics Team discussed demand-planning models, forecasting methods and supply support requests. Both B-1B and B-2 program offices briefed on the platform-supply landscapes, while also discussing the maintenance cycles, repair lines of effort, sustainment strategies, sourcing and funding among other topics.
Rick “Rainman” Ingram, fleet management and product support integrator for the AFLCMC B-2 Division, thanked the entire team for coming together to discuss risks and tackle issues for both platforms. He also announced the establishment of after-action items that will better support future sustainment moving forward.
DLA Land and Maritime Commander Navy Rear Adm. Julie Treanor attended day two of the event and personally thanked the AFLCMC Bombers Directorate for their ongoing collaboration.
Due to the success and outcome of the working group, the AFLCMC Bombers Directorate plans to hold the event annually.