diff --git a/ompi/mca/bml/base/bml_base_init.c b/ompi/mca/bml/base/bml_base_init.c
index d9edd639b3b..9a2efec8ccc 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/bml/base/bml_base_init.c
+++ b/ompi/mca/bml/base/bml_base_init.c
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+/* -*- Mode: C; c-basic-offset:4 ; indent-tabs-mode:nil -*- */
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2007 The Trustees of Indiana University and Indiana
  *                         University Research and Technology
@@ -11,6 +12,8 @@
  *                         All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2015      Research Organization for Information Science
  *                         and Technology (RIST). All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2016      Los Alamos National Security, LLC. All rights
+ *                         reserved.
  * $COPYRIGHT$
  *
  * Additional copyrights may follow
@@ -49,18 +52,18 @@ mca_bml_base_inited(void)
 
 int mca_bml_base_init( bool enable_progress_threads,
                        bool enable_mpi_threads) {
-    opal_list_item_t *item = NULL;
     mca_bml_base_component_t *component = NULL, *best_component = NULL;
     mca_bml_base_module_t *module = NULL, *best_module = NULL;
     int priority = 0, best_priority = -1;
     mca_base_component_list_item_t *cli = NULL;
 
+    if (init_called) {
+        return OPAL_SUCCESS;
+    }
+
     init_called = true;
 
-    for (item = opal_list_get_first(&ompi_bml_base_framework.framework_components);
-         opal_list_get_end(&ompi_bml_base_framework.framework_components) != item;
-         item = opal_list_get_next(item)) {
-        cli = (mca_base_component_list_item_t*) item;
+    OPAL_LIST_FOREACH(cli, &ompi_bml_base_framework.framework_components, mca_base_component_list_item_t) {
         component = (mca_bml_base_component_t*) cli->cli_component;
         if(NULL == component->bml_init) {
             opal_output_verbose( 10, ompi_bml_base_framework.framework_output,
diff --git a/ompi/runtime/ompi_mpi_init.c b/ompi/runtime/ompi_mpi_init.c
index 59f365bd0da..a433e87f02a 100644
--- a/ompi/runtime/ompi_mpi_init.c
+++ b/ompi/runtime/ompi_mpi_init.c
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
 #include "opal/mca/rcache/base/base.h"
 #include "opal/mca/rcache/rcache.h"
 #include "opal/mca/mpool/base/base.h"
+#include "opal/mca/btl/base/base.h"
 #include "opal/mca/pmix/pmix.h"
 #include "opal/util/timings.h"
 
@@ -599,6 +600,10 @@ int ompi_mpi_init(int argc, char **argv, int requested, int *provided)
         error = "mca_bml_base_open() failed";
         goto error;
     }
+    if (OMPI_SUCCESS != (ret = mca_bml_base_init (1, ompi_mpi_thread_multiple))) {
+        error = "mca_bml_base_init() failed";
+        goto error;
+    }
     if (OMPI_SUCCESS != (ret = mca_base_framework_open(&ompi_pml_base_framework, 0))) {
         error = "mca_pml_base_open() failed";
         goto error;