Podcast Summary: RDML York on Global Logistics, Support, and Keeping the Fleet Replenished

Podcast: WETSU: a Battleship New Jersey Podcast
Host: Marshall Spevak
Guest: Rear Admiral Michael A. York, Commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Support
Date: January 7, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Rear Admiral Michael A. York, a seasoned Navy Supply Corps officer and Commander of the Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Support (NAVSUP WSS). Host Marshall Spevak invites Admiral York aboard the Battleship New Jersey to delve into the high-stakes, behind-the-scenes world of naval logistics. Their discussion covers Admiral York’s career path, the vital yet largely invisible task of keeping the Fleet supplied, the evolving challenges in global logistics, technological adaptation, leadership lessons, and the human side of military supply operations.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Admiral York’s Naval Journey and Early Lessons

• Family Tradition & Early Motivation

  • Navy service runs deep in York’s family, including his father, grandfather, and even a great-great-uncle from the era of the Great White Fleet.
  • Quote: “Navy's in the family, kind of the family business... Graduated high school, thought I was going to try something else, but ended up applying for and got accepted to the Naval Academy and the rest is history.” — York, 02:26

• Initial Career Aspirations

  • Planned to be a naval aviator inspired by the “Top Gun” generation but changed paths due to a back injury and entered the Supply Corps instead.
  • Quote: “I was in that generation [inspired by Top Gun]... but my eyes weren't good enough to be a pilot.” — York, 03:39

• First Sea Tours

  • Early assignments on frigates homeported in Japan exposed him to both supply and surface warfare responsibilities, fostering adaptability.
  • “Those ships out in Japan are always underway and the frigates are small ships. So I can get in a lot of different places.” — York, 04:13

2. The Laundry Officer Years: Leadership Amid the Mundane

• A Formative, Unusual Assignment

  • Served as the laundry and dry cleaning officer at Annapolis after sea duty — leading a civilian union staff and learning non-traditional Navy leadership.
  • “It was the first time I got to see that Navy was more than just the folks in uniform... These are folks that, you know, clocked in in nine to five pretty rough conditions.” — York, 05:11

• Post-9/11 Reflections

  • Was stationed at Annapolis during 9/11—a sobering experience that brought home national security’s personal impact.
  • “Everybody was trying to figure out... what was going on... We were outside the perimeter of D.C. but close enough to feel like we could have been next.” — York, 06:40

3. Operational Experience: Supply Corps at Sea and in Combat Zones

• Supply Officer on USS Harry S. Truman

  • Explained why carrier tours are the zenith of a Supply Corps career: immense responsibility, complex teamwork, and personal fulfillment.
  • “It's kind of the pinnacle tour for U.S. supply Corps officers... Great mission, great ship. We went on deployment. Great people around.” — York, 07:28

• Deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan

  • Worked on contracting and logistics, managing resources for coalition operations. Bridged Pentagon-style planning with boots-on-the-ground realities.
    • “We were on the kind of the big hub... at the airport... The skill set that I got tapped to bring was, had a little bit of contracting experience.” — York, 08:35

• Career-Shaping Challenges

  • Emphasized learning leadership by managing union labor and non-military staff, and adaptation during stints at logistics headquarters.
  • “That tour was pretty formative for me... It was my first experience with the union, managing resources, revenue, expenses and all of that kind of stuff.” — York, 10:30

4. Behind the Curtain: NAVSUP WSS and Global Logistics Command

• Mission & History

  • Explained NAVSUP WSS’s core mission: end-to-end supply chain management for Navy/Marine Corps repair parts, supporting ships, submarines, and aircraft.

  • Quote: “Naval Supply Systems Command essentially runs... all facets of supply chain for the Navy and Marine Corps. So you're thinking everything from food and mail to repair parts, a lot of contracting... warehousing, distribution, transportation.” — York, 12:58

  • NAVSUP WSS has over 1300 staff in Philadelphia and Mechanicsburg, tracing its roots back to 1917, with a portfolio managing over 300,000 SKUs and $43 billion in inventory.

• Global Impact

  • 24/7 worldwide monitoring—ensuring mission readiness by predicting, purchasing, storing, and distributing every conceivable repair part.
  • “We've probably got a hundred ships and a couple hundred airplanes operating someplace... We're getting requisitions for replacement parts... about 350,000 requisitions a year.” — York, 16:04

• Warehousing and Inventory Optimization

  • BALANCE: Modeling what must be carried on ships vs. what can be stored ashore, dispersing inventory to regional hubs to ensure rapid resupply.

5. Adapting to Change: Technological and Strategic Challenges

• Innovation and AI

  • The Navy supply community leverages innovative contracting and increasingly explores AI and digital transformation. Cautions about cybersecurity and data integrity.
  • “We're really experimenting right now on what we can do with AI and what's available... One of my priorities is... to figure out how we do our basic business in a transformative way.” — York, 22:20

• Evolving Strategy: Contested Logistics

  • Bigger-picture concern is how to sustain the fleet in a future conflict, especially with less predictable supply lines (unlike past fixed routines in the Gulf and elsewhere).
  • “We won't have that predictability, at least initially... So the problem that we're... thinking a lot about is how do you recreate that same level of predictability of a supply chain to sustain a ship this size...” — York, 29:32

• Auxiliary Ships and MSC

  • Auxiliary and supply ships often get overlooked but are absolutely critical—ramp-up in shipbuilding is vital, and coordination with Military Sealift Command (MSC) is seamless but mostly behind the scenes.
  • “We can't build those ships fast enough then.” — York, 31:53

6. Building the Future: Mentorship, Training, and Culture

• Leadership at the Supply Corps School

  • Led the school during COVID, adapting traditional classroom training to virtual platforms. Praised junior officers’ adaptability and enthusiasm.
  • “The adaptability and the ingenuity of the Naval officer... was the excitement from the new officers... from all walks of life... seeing all them graduate.” — York, 24:11

• Message to the Fleet

  • Supply teams are rarely noticed when things go right but care deeply about supporting those at the front lines.
  • “They only really notice us when we miss... I would just encourage folks... the folks that work for me are some of the most patriotic, hardest working folks that I've ever served with.” — York, 26:59

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On what makes NAVSUP WSS effective:
  “Mission ready for us is every time that requisition comes in, we have the thing ready. Whether it's in a warehouse somewhere, it's on a ship somewhere to get to that sailor, do some maintenance.” — York, 16:04

• Lessons from less glamorous jobs:
  “It's okay for me to roll up my sleeves and get a little dirty... Everywhere I've been, [supply sailors] don't have very glamorous jobs... But some of those sailors are the happiest, most productive sailors that I've ever been around.” — York, 33:27

• On historical continuity:
  “You get into a routine... You could count on a weekly resupply... So for big ships like that or big ships like [the New Jersey] in the future fight... We won't have that predictability, at least initially.” — York, 29:32

Lightning Round Highlights

(28:07–28:54)

• Favorite ship for food: “USS Harry S. Truman.”
• Hardest item to keep in stock: “First ship, it was coffee filters.”
• If not Supply Corps: “I would have been an aviator.”
• Favorite Navy port: “Singapore.”
• Most impressive aspect of Battleship New Jersey: “History.”
• One word for Navy logistics today: “Resilient.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Why Join the Navy/Family Military Heritage – 02:20–02:51
• First Shipboard Assignments/Transition to Supply Corps – 03:24–04:42
• Annapolis Laundry Officer & Civilian Leadership – 04:42–06:37
• Reflections on 9/11 – 06:37–07:19
• Carrier SuppO Experience (Harry S. Truman) – 07:19–08:11
• Baghdad/Iraq Contracting Tour – 08:11–09:57
• Leadership Lessons Learned – 09:57–12:36
• Overview of NAVSUP & WSS Mission – 12:36–15:49
• Mission Readiness and Global Supply Chain – 15:49–17:00
• Inventory and Warehousing Strategy – 17:00–17:28
• Modernizing with Technology/AI – 22:20–23:32
• Supply Corps School: Training the Next Generation – 23:32–26:47
• Message to the Fleet – 26:47–27:59
• Lightning Round – 28:07–28:54
• Historic and Modern Supply Chain Parallels – 29:02–32:47
• WETSU Moments (Grit and Team Spirit) – 33:27–35:37

Tone & Takeaway

Admiral York is humble, candid, and deeply passionate about the “unseen backbone” of the Navy. He offers both practical insight and personal anecdotes, humanizing military logistics as a field powered by people who care deeply about service. He artfully connects the legacy of Battleship New Jersey with today’s logistical challenges, underlining resilience as the defining trait of the Navy’s supply community.

For listeners: This episode reveals how naval readiness depends on the tireless, rarely visible work of logistics professionals like those at NAVSUP WSS—reminding us that history, leadership, and teamwork remain as crucial as ever in keeping the fleet afloat.