By Paul R Salmon FCILT, FSCM
In Defence logistics, “robbing” or cannibalising spares — taking parts from one platform to repair another — has always divided opinion.
On one hand, it’s a tactical lifeline: a way to get mission-critical assets back into service quickly, especially when supply lines are stretched. On the other, it risks creating a strategic liability: double downtime, inflated maintenance costs, distorted data, and a culture of reactive planning.
👉 Questions for the Supply Chain Council community:
• Should robbing spares be treated as a legitimate, controlled logistics tool — or as a sign of supply chain weakness?
• How do we balance operational urgency against long-term readiness and cost?
• Can smarter forecasting, spares pooling, or industry partnerships reduce the need for robbing?
• Is the goal to make robbing the exception — or is it an unavoidable reality of contested logistics?
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