DLA Land and Maritime to case its unit colors, closing a historic chapter

The Defense Logistics Agency plans to deactivate DLA Land and Maritime on July 24 in Columbus, Ohio, finalizing a two-day sequence that also includes the July 23 deactivation of DLA Aviation in Richmond, Virginia. The moves formally establish DLA Weapons Support as an integrated major subordinate command headquartered at the Defense Supply Center Columbus.

The restructure consolidates oversight of Class IX supply chains—spare and repair parts for thousands of weapon systems—under one command spanning two principal hubs at DSCC and Defense Supply Center Richmond, plus more than 50 forward sites. No facility closures are planned, and agency officials say the existing workforces in Columbus and Richmond remain central to the mission.

Navy Rear Adm. Julie Treanor, now leading DLA Weapons Support (Columbus), is slated to assume command of the unified organization July 24. Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Launey, who leads DLA Weapons Support (Richmond), will relinquish command July 23, ahead of the formal stand-down of DLA Aviation at DSCR.

DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly framed the change as part of a broader effort to sharpen warfighter readiness by integrating weapon system support. “Nobody else can do what we do, and we’re not going to back down from that mission set,” Simerly said. He underscored the expertise and adaptability of the agency’s Class IX workforce in meeting operational demands.

The newly aligned command reached initial operating capability Oct. 1, according to DLA, after the agency began retiring the DLA Land and Maritime and DLA Aviation names last fall in favor of DLA Weapons Support (Columbus) and DLA Weapons Support (Richmond). The installation name, Defense Supply Center Columbus, will not change, but DLA Weapons Support becomes the primary host tenant.

The shift caps a decades-long evolution in military logistics that began in the early 1960s. After World War II, each service branch managed its own supply lines, a patchwork approach that led to duplication and inefficiency. In 1961, the Defense Department created the Defense Supply Agency, DLA’s predecessor, to centralize procurement and inventory management. On Jan. 1, 1962, the Defense Construction Supply Center in Columbus was brought into the new organization, which demonstrated its value during urgent events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The agency adopted its current name, Defense Logistics Agency, on Jan. 1, 1977, reflecting a broadened mission that had grown to include global distribution, fuel management and foreign military sales.

Columbus emerged as a linchpin during a 1990s restructuring shaped by Base Realignment and Closure rounds. The 1993 BRAC decision to merge the Defense Electronics Supply Center in Dayton with the Columbus center led to the activation of the Defense Supply Center Columbus in January 1996. Pooling electronics, construction and system-level parts management under one roof set the stage for DSCC’s role as the agency’s lead center for land, maritime and missile systems in the early 2000s.

The command’s remit and identity were further refined in 2010, when the DSCC host organization was redesignated DLA Land and Maritime, a change formalized across the enterprise under the “We Are DLA” initiative in 2011. The updated name clarified customer understanding by aligning the command’s title with the supply chains it managed, rather than its geographic location.

From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to more recent contingencies, the organization built a track record of rapid response and large-scale procurement. During the surge to counter improvised explosive devices, it quickly cataloged and sourced parts for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. In 2018, it awarded the 10-year, $2.1 billion Global Tires Program Integrator Acquisition, centralizing tire supply for aircraft and ground systems across the Defense Department and allied partners.

The command also leaned into automation and digital tools. A 2019 rollout of the Automated Indefinite Delivery Contract tool streamlined low-dollar procurements and sharply increased auto-award rates, cutting administrative timelines and delivering the unit’s best performance in nearly a decade. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted production lines in 2020, the organization moved to stabilize vulnerable suppliers and accelerate critical orders to keep depots, shipyards and fleets operating.

In 2023, DLA Land Aberdeen, a detachment of DLA Land and Maritime, awarded the 10-year, $3.2 billion Gateway-to-Sustainment contract to simplify buying advanced computing, tactical communications, cyber defense and ISR equipment. The command reported a 95% material availability rate that year for the Navy’s 21N program, which supports components for nuclear-powered carriers and submarines. It also coordinated high-priority supply chains for naval forces operating in the Red Sea amid missile and drone threats.

DLA officials emphasize that the legacies and capabilities built under DLA Land and Maritime and DLA Aviation are being carried forward intact. By uniting the teams that manage Class IX supply chains across land, maritime and aviation portfolios, the agency aims to create a single, more agile organization while preserving the expertise embedded at Columbus, Richmond and dozens of forward locations.

As the stand-up of DLA Weapons Support becomes official later this month, the agency casts the move as both continuity and change: a consolidation of long-standing functions behind a single nameplate and a bid to deliver faster, more synchronized support to the joint force. The thousands of civilians and service members who have sustained weapon systems across the globe will continue in that mission under the new banner.