Fort Belvoir, Virginia –
Having a nuclear arsenal at the ready is a key part of America’s national security strategy, and maintaining the health of those weapons systems is a growing concern for the Defense Logistics Agency.
DLA Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Andy Busch arrived at the agency last December intent on improving support to the nuclear enterprise, which consists of three components: land-based heavy bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Busch’s commitment to supporting the aging nuclear fleet began at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, where he commanded the Ogden Air Logistics Center and observed gaps in support for the intercontinental ballistic missile.
“DLA was helpful, but only on individual things. There was never an office that a customer could turn to and say, ‘I’m having problems with the ICBM that reaches across distribution, disposition, aviation and maybe there’s a contracting piece in this, as well,’” he said.
In January, Busch stood up the Nuclear Enterprise Support Office under DLA Logistics Operations to synchronize the nuclear support efforts of the DLA Headquarters staff and the agency’s regional commands and field activities such as DLA Land and Maritime and DLA Aviation. His goal is to make DLA a part of the overall product support strategy as the military services modernize their nuclear assets.
While the services already count on the agency for DLA-managed parts on a ballistic missile or bomber, for example, the agency can play a much more comprehensive role in sustainment, Busch said.
“They’ve always known how to order parts from us, but what they haven’t known is how to incorporate us in a product support strategy for taking a weapon system that’s already 40 years old and carrying it another 20 to 25 years,” he continued.
Busch described DLA’s existing support to the subs and nuclear reactors managed by the Navy as “pretty solid” due to decades of formal agreements that address the service’s needs. Although formal agreements are in place with the Air Force, they are not comprehensive enough, he said, and DLA must partner with Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Force Space Command to increase support for bombers, ballistic missiles and nuclear command and control communications systems.
“On the bomber side, a lot of what we have to do is work with a weapon system that hasn’t been exercised in a nuclear role and figure out where the demand signals have dropped off, and we need to pick up and start buying items that would help support the system in that role,” he said.
The Air Force is working to identify all the components that make up the ballistic missile as a weapon system, including the missile itself, launch facility, control facility, communications, equipment and utility support, and so on. Some elements are above ground; others are below.
“That’s a pretty significant task for both the Air Force and for us. We have to figure out how to energize our supply chains to supply parts that we were never asked to provide before,” Busch continued.
To show DLA’s commitment, the agency has assigned a liaison to U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the military’s nuclear capability. USSTRATCOM officials have also begun participating in DLA’s weekly planning sessions and are already asking questions about how the agency can meet specific needs of the nuclear enterprise. At the request of the Air Force, DLA Disposition Services has halted disposal on specific nuclear related systems.
“We are in meetings now where DLA has never chosen to participate, and we probably were never invited because they didn’t know to invite us,” Busch said. “And we’re involved in discussions we’ve never had before.”
Although supporting the nuclear enterprise was one of the first priorities Busch stressed after becoming DLA director, he said he wants the workforce to know that while it is a priority – and he wants results yesterday – it’s one priority amongst many others.
“This is a strategic priority for the agency. DLA does something for every combatant commander, and I think there are elements of the USSTRATCOM portfolio that are underserved by DLA,” he said.