DLA Strategic Material’s Strategic Material Recovery and Reuse Program (SMRRP) operates under the Strategic and Critical Material Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98 et seq.).
The Act allows recovery of any strategic and critical materials from excess materials made available for recovery purposes by other Federal agencies.
Under the SMRRP effort, DLA-SM was able to mitigate a shortfall in Germanium through a partnership with Anniston Army Depot to recover Germanium-containing parts that were targeted for disposal. Today, SMRRP is still active in recovering Germanium components for inclusion in the National Defense Stockpile.
Additionally, SMRRP focuses on Super-alloys used in turbine engines, such as those in aircrafts operated and maintained by the U.S. Air Force. These Super-alloys are generally nickel and cobalt-based alloys containing metals such as rhenium, tantalum, tungsten, niobium, and electrolytic or aluminothermic chromium and manganese. All of these metals are on the watch list evaluated for actions such as inclusion in the National Defense Stockpile.
Super-alloys are recovered, demilitarized, cleaned, characterized, and transferred to the National Defense Stockpile (NDS). DLA Strategic Materials obtains these services (i.e. demilitarization, cleaning, hazardous material disposal, packaging, and transportation) via Contractors whom process certified Super-alloy scrap and Germanium-containing parts. DLA Strategic Materials will fund, award, and administer these service contracts.
Through SMRRP and Contractor support DLA-Strategic Materials is able to increase domestic supplies of strategic and critical materials to support defense and essential civilian industries in times of national emergency.