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Defense Logistics Agency Weapons Support convened its second B-2 Bomber Summit at the Defense Supply Center Columbus, bringing together Air Force program offices, Global Strike Command representatives, and industry to tackle sustainment challenges facing the stealth bomber fleet.
Organizers said the follow-on event, held after last year’s inaugural summit, centered on tightening communication across agencies, refining demand forecasting, and mitigating parts obsolescence for an aircraft whose supply base increasingly reflects 1980s-era technology. Participants included DLA Weapons Support teams from Columbus and Richmond; the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s B-2 System Program Office at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Air Force Global Strike Command at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri; and industry partners.
A central topic was the “1913 process,” a planning tool used to anticipate Air Force requirements and set stock levels in advance, aiming to avoid reactive buys and sudden shortages. The approach is part of a broader push to get engineering and logistics experts aligned earlier in the acquisition cycle.
“This has been a long-term project to strengthen the relationship between the [System Program Office], Global Strike Command and DLA to support the warfighter,” said Cindy Connor, Air Force B-2 Air Vehicle and Systems Management deputy branch chief. “It’s very essential that we work together as a team in order to keep things smooth and moving in the right direction.”
With diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages growing more acute, teams outlined plans to harness the Small Business Innovation Research program and expand reverse engineering to qualify new vendors. Industry briefings showcased digital twin tools meant to map the acquisition landscape and quickly surface qualified suppliers, as well as recent wins in metal casting and fabrication—among them reverse-engineered slider bosses delivered in the hundreds and ongoing indicator panel repairs at Whiteman—reported to save the Air Force thousands of dollars per unit.
DLA and Air Force engineers also examined how interagency engineering support requests can slow buys, proposing earlier technical engagement and new data-sharing practices to cut administrative lead times and reduce backorders.
“This is how we win the fight,” said Ricky “Rainman” Ingram, a B-2 SPO representative, underscoring that fixing supply issues before they become visible prevents aircraft groundings and protects mission readiness for long-range strike.
