Defense Logistics Agency expands ALRE supply chain collaboration for Navy readiness

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DLA expands ALRE collaboration

Highlights

DLA Weapons Support, PMA-251, NAVSUP, and industry partners overhaul the supply chain for about 10,000 Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment components to remove bottlenecks.
Stakeholders adopt a unified forecasting strategy and eliminate duplicative First Article Testing on items with 100% Production Testing, aiming to compress fielding timelines.
The initiative aligns DLA, NAVAIR, and NAVSUP around shared performance goals, addressing labor and production constraints to boost fleet readiness and minimize aircraft carrier downtime.

Supply chain overhaul for carrier equipment

As reported by Defense Logistics Agency, DLA Weapons Support in Columbus, Naval Air Systems Command's PMA-251 office, Naval Supply Systems Command and industry partners are working together to remove bottlenecks across the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment supply chain.

The program covers about 10,000 components used in arresting gear on aircraft carriers, a system that helps stop high-speed aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet after landing. The recent collaboration focuses on making the supply chain more resilient as traditional planning models become less effective.

Officials say the group is shifting from isolated predictive models to a unified forecasting strategy so parts can be positioned before critical failures occur. The team also agrees to remove duplicative pre-production First Article Testing for items that already undergo 100% Production Testing, a move intended to compress fielding timelines.

Navy Capt. Mike "Timber" Kline, PMA-251 program manager, says the discussions center on barriers, responsibilities and tools, while DLA ALRE Division Chief Eric Forson says the main return from the meetings is breaking functional silos across nearly 700 personnel supporting the mission.

Operational impact across defense logistics

The initiative is designed to improve fleet readiness by aligning DLA, NAVAIR and NAVSUP around shared performance goals rather than separate internal metrics. Navy Capt. Jaime Roman of Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet says the effort also supports stronger partnerships and process improvements beyond the immediate supply challenge.

Other actions under review include preserving specialized labor and addressing production bottlenecks that can delay delivery of critical parts. Those steps matter for systems tied directly to aircraft launch and recovery, where downtime can affect carrier operations and deployment schedules.

Participants also tour facilities at Lakehurst, including the Prototype and Manufacturing Division, the Electromagnetic Military Aircraft Launch System, Advanced Arresting Gear and the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Detachment. Amanda Porter, an ALRE weapons system support manager at DLA Weapons Support in Columbus, says the in-person sessions help teams use collective expertise, while Forson says seeing the hardware in operation strengthens cross-agency coordination on high-stakes supply chain issues.

Our earlier article covered Washington’s move to suspend U.S. tariffs on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer to counter a supply shock and Iran-linked cost pressures on farm inputs. The decision was framed as a fast way to stabilize a critical supply chain and curb inflationary spillovers, contrasting with a more tariff-heavy trade posture.

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