DLA Aviation to case colors ahead of Weapons Support activation

RICHMOND, Va., and COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Defense Logistics Agency will deactivate DLA Aviation on July 23 in Richmond, followed by DLA Land and Maritime on July 24 in Columbus, formally establishing DLA Weapons Support as a single, integrated major subordinate command headquartered in Columbus, the agency said.

The consolidation is intended to tighten support to the force by uniting management of Class IX parts—spare and repair items that keep weapon systems operating—under one command. The Defense Supply Center Richmond will keep its installation name, but its principal tenant will become DLA Weapons Support. DLA said it retired the DLA Aviation and DLA Land and Maritime titles last fall to set the transition in motion.

Initial operating capability was reached Oct. 1. The new organization will span the Defense Supply Centers in Columbus and Richmond and more than 50 forward sites. No facility closures are planned, and the workforces in both cities remain central to the mission, according to the agency.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Launey, commander of DLA Weapons Support (Richmond), will relinquish command July 23 as part of the Richmond ceremony. On July 24, Navy Rear Adm. Julie Treanor, commander of DLA Weapons Support (Columbus), will assume command of the unified organization at the Columbus event.

“Nobody else can do what we do, and we’re not going to back down from that mission set,” DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said. He praised the quality and adaptability of the Class IX workforce.

The move caps a long evolution for the Richmond installation, which began operations in 1942 as the Richmond General Depot and later became the Defense General Supply Center, then Defense Supply Center Richmond. The site grew through World War II and the Cold War, embraced early data-processing capabilities in the 1960s, and advanced electronic ordering systems in the 1980s. In 1985, the center took on aviation structural components, laying groundwork for its eventual focus on aircraft support. In 2010, DLA rebranded its field activities and the aviation enterprise became DLA Aviation, headquartered at Defense Supply Center Richmond, with teams embedded at Air Force and Navy depots across the United States and in Japan.

By fiscal year 2025, DLA Aviation supported more than 2,250 weapon systems and served as the integrated materiel manager for over 1.8 million national stock number items, while also handling industrial retail supply and depot-level repairable acquisitions.

DLA officials said the legacy and expertise of both DLA Aviation and DLA Land and Maritime will carry forward under DLA Weapons Support, with the goal of creating a stronger, more agile organization tailored to the demands of today’s joint force.