RICHMOND, Va. –
On July 23, the Defense Logistics Agency will close a historic chapter and forge a unified future as it officially deactivates DLA Aviation, based on Defense Supply Center Richmond. This deactivation, held in conjunction with the deactivation of DLA Land and Maritime in Columbus, Ohio, the day after, marks the formal stand-up of DLA Weapons Support – a new, integrated major subordinate command headquartered in Columbus.
This transition is far more than an administrative shift; it is a strategic integration designed to enhance warfighter support, directly aligning with the Secretary of War’s priorities to hone warfighter readiness. While the name of the installation, Defense Supply Center Richmond, will not change, the name of its major host tenant will become DLA Weapons Support, a move set in motion last fall when DLA retired the titles DLA Aviation and DLA Land and Maritime.
This name reflects the command’s essential mission: supplying critical spare and repair parts for thousands of weapons systems warfighters rely on across the globe. In military terms, this supply category is known as Class IX.
The new command, which reached initial operating capability Oct. 1, will encompass two major locations at Defense Supply Center Columbus and Defense Supply Center Richmond and over 50 additional forward sites. No facility closures are planned, and the dedicated workforce in both Columbus and Richmond remain essential to the mission. The goal is to create a stronger, more agile organization by uniting the teams that manage all Class IX supply chains.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Launey, commander of DLA Weapons Support (Richmond), will officially relinquish command July 23 prior to the formal deactivation of DLA Aviation on Defense Supply Center Richmond. On July 24, Navy Rear Adm. Julie Treanor, commander of DLA Weapons Support (Columbus), will officially assume command of the entire, unified DLA Weapons Support major subordinate command guiding the integrated command headquartered at the Defense Supply Center Columbus.
DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly called this an exciting time for DLA, as it rewrites the script on weapon system support.
“Nobody else can do what we do, and we’re not going to back down from that mission set,” Simerly said, noting that the outstanding quality and adaptability of the Class IX team is unrivaled in meeting the needs of the warfighter.
As DLA prepares to stand up this unified command, a look back at the legacy of DLA Aviation honors the dedication of its people and a proud tradition of unmatched support for the warfighter.
Transition to Unified Logistics Agency
Since 1942, when the installation first activated as the Richmond General Depot under the command of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, a dedicated, diverse, and professional workforce has supported America’s warfighters.
World War II marked the peak of depot operations with more than 8,400 people employed, who were supplemented by 1,200 German prisoners of war housed on a 50-acre camp adjacent to the depot. Employees received, stored, and supplied quartermaster, medical, and engineering items. The 1950s and 1960s brought the Korean and Vietnam Wars, reorganization, and mission expansion to the depot. With the activation of the Military General Supply Agency in 1960 and its absorption by the Defense Supply Agency in 1962, the depot’s mission expanded to managing more than 30,000 general supply items. Escalation of the U.S. role in Southeast Asia drove the workload increase and another name change for the installation to Defense General Supply Center. By 1967, DGSC was procuring more than $731 million worth of general supplies, accounting for $800 million in annual sales.
Technological progress was dramatic in the mid-to-late 1960s, with four new computer systems installed that processed more than 4,500 requisitions a day. The center became home to one of the largest data processing facilities on the East Coast. In the 1970s, workloads increased to include additional federal supply classes such as ecclesiastical and mortuary supplies. In recognition of expanded responsibilities, the installation’s parent organization, the Defense Supply Agency, changed its name to the Defense Logistics Agency in 1977.
In the 1980s, the center’s operations were divided into separate areas for procurement and technical operations. Inventory managers were now responsible for an item from start to finish. They received customer demands and forecasts and generated purchase requests to initiate the procurement action. By 1984, DGSC developed the Paperless Order Placement System, the Defense Department’s initial electronic commerce and data interchange application. POPS passed customer requisitions to suppliers for immediate direct shipment from commercial stocks rather than from government warehouse inventories. It also provided same-day processing through electronic data interchange, increasing sales dramatically in general items like building lighting, batteries, and film.
Aviation Focused Support
In 1985, DGSC assumed management of aviation structural components, laying its foundation as a key contributor to aviation support throughout the DOD. Through the 1990s, it fielded additional systems to enhance its processes and changed from a functionally-based organization to a commodity-based one. Professional training empowered employees to make decisions without going to their direct chain of command, and business plans were built to define product center goals.
Having groups working the same federal supply classes in the same location allowed for immediate problem-solving. All disciplines came under one umbrella, and employees became multifunctional. Product center leaders learned about each discipline, and integrated support team leads had control over the whole product to better support the warfighter. DGSC also piloted original equipment manufacturer divisions under product centers, allowing for further refinement of business plans and increased communication. Today, OEM divisions are still a critical link in communications with our industry partners.
In 1996, the Defense General Supply Center’s name changed to Defense Supply Center Richmond. Shortly after the new name took effect, agency leaders started talking about supply chain management. In an initial step toward a supply chain focus, the agency also made federal supply class transfers between field activities. The agency was looking at how it organized work, and the idea of managing by supply chains came into being. The cradle-to-grave approach allowed each supply chain to focus on a certain area, which led to better relationships with suppliers.
Consolidation and Modernization in Richmond
In 2000, Business Systems Modernization was formally initiated as a new major acquisition program within DLA that would be a state-of-the-art system competitive with commercial industry. In 2004, DSCR employees prepared to manage supply chains, rather than supply classes, through the deployment of BSM. Big Bang, the name coined for the deployment and reorganization, affected the entire workforce, physically relocating 2,000 employees on the center and changing job titles for some. During this time, BSM replaced legacy computer systems to improve customer support, lower operational costs, and streamline operations. Completed in 2006, BSM allowed the center to leverage the benefits of commercial off-the-shelf software and re-engineered business practices to enhance customer support.
DSCR’s mission expanded greatly between 2007 and 2009 with the implementation of Base Realignment and Closure 2005 legislation. The activity privatized its supply, storage and distribution management of tires, packaged petroleum, oil and lubricant products, and compressed and liquified gases. It also broadened its mission as a supply chain provider beyond its traditional wholesale role when it moved into consumer-level retail supply logistics. During this timeframe, DSCR activated six industrial support activities and five depot-level repairable activities throughout the U.S., moving aviation closer to military industrial maintenance production lines and the artisans performing weapon system repairs.
Becoming Aviation: A specialized MSC
In July 2010, as part of an enterprise-wide branding campaign, the Defense Logistics Agency separated the names of its primary-field level activities from the names of the installations they resided on. The agency’s aviation demand and supply chain, previously known as Defense Supply Center Richmond, became Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, unifying thousands of employees across 18 U.S. locations and more closely aligning it to the larger DLA enterprise. Defense Supply Center Richmond remained the name of the installation and became the home of DLA Aviation’s headquarters.
Positioned alongside its military customers, DLA Aviation managed industrial support activities at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; Tinker AFB, Oklahoma; Hill AFB, Utah; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina; Naval Air Station North Island, California; and NAS Jacksonville, Florida. DLA Aviation managed depot-level repairable procurement operations at Robins, Tinker, and Hill Air Force Bases; Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia; and at Redstone Army Arsenal, Alabama. DLA Aviation also operated an industrial plant equipment maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Additionally, DLA Aviation stood up Detachment Kadena as a strategic depot level repair activity on Kadena Air Base in Japan.
DLA Aviation also had a forward presence with employees working alongside its customers in more than a dozen other U.S. locations. The activity’s business functionality consisted of six basic core processes representing key functions in supply chain management which enable DLA Aviation to interact, support, and meet warfighter requirements. These processes are planning, procurement, order fulfillment, financial management, technical/quality, and customer relationship management. By focusing on basic business, DLA Aviation minimized supply chain risk, right-sized inventory, and enhanced warfighter support. The activity also reduced risks, allowing for a deliberate focus on strategic contracting and small business opportunities.
DLA Aviation supported 14 major product lines: turbine engine components; airframe structural parts; flight safety equipment; electrical components; aviation lighting; bearings; commodities; cables; hardware; chemicals and petroleum products; green products; industrial gases and cylinders; topographic, hydrographic, and aeronautical maps/charts (digital and print); and industrial plant equipment services.
In fiscal year 2025, DLA Aviation supported more than 2,250 weapon systems and is the U.S. military's integrated materiel manager for more than 1.8 million national stock number items, industrial retail supply, and depot-level repairable acquisitions.
A Unified Future: DLA Weapons Support
DLA is built to change and built to last, a mantra echoed over the past year as DLA undergoes historic transformation to meet the needs of today’s joint force.
While the ceremony officially marks the deactivation of DLA Aviation, it does not close the book on its legacy. Instead, its storied tradition of excellence is being seamlessly integrated into a modernized operational framework. The thousands of dedicated civilian and military personnel who built DLA Aviation's reputation for excellence, along with the dedicated professionals from DLA Land and Maritime, will continue to serve as the driving force behind the new DLA Weapons Support, ensuring America’s military remains the world’s strongest and most elite fighting force for decades to come.