CRANE, Ind. -- Crane Army Ammunition Activity provided the right environment for Soldiers from the Indiana National Guard to hone their skills during ammunition logistics training last month.
The 1438th Transportation Company conducted convoy operations and drivers training during June 2015 Annual Training to license more than 40 drivers on the unit's Palletized Load Systems trucks equipped with Enhanced Container Handling Units. Convoys of Soldiers travelled from Camp Atterbury to Naval Support Activity Crane each day. Once at Crane, the Soldiers worked with Crane Army Ammunition Activity's depot operations to move 226 shipping containers to various locations on the installation.
"The time that the Soldiers spent on the ground here at Crane provided the Indiana National Guard units the ability to practice and to hone their skill sets and provide excellent live mission support to CAAA," Steve Cummings, Crane Army's Depot Operations coordinator, said. "For CAAA it provides a great opportunity for our civilian workforce to interact with the Soldiers that we are here to support. It is a win/win for the state of Indiana and the DoD."
According to Maj. Jason Doffin, 190th Motor Transportation Battalion Support Operations Officer, some of the Soldiers were recent graduates of Advanced Individual Training and were able to drive more than 800 cumulative miles during the movements from Camp Atterbury to Crane and around the installation. "The training throughout the mission improved unit and Soldier readiness, thus ensuring that the transportation company supporting our civil-support and wartime missions are prepared and proficient," Doffin said. "Integrating the Palletized Load System equipment enabled a comprehensive training mission that was mutually beneficial to both the Indiana National Guard and Crane Army Ammunition Activity."
Doffin added that many of the Soldiers and NCOs had extensive experience with the PLS/ECHU equipment and convoy operations from prior deployments overseas. "Their prior experience, coupled with quality instruction given by the NCOs, allowed for the companies to internally train the newer inexperienced Soldiers on how to safely and competently use their equipment, as well as to conduct convoy operations," he said.
Established October 1977, Crane Army Ammunition Activity maintains ordnance professionals and infrastructure in order to receive, store, ship, produce, renovate and demilitarize conventional ammunition, missiles and related components. The Activity also provides command oversight of Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Letterkenny Munitions Center, Pennsylvania, and Milan Army Ammunition Plant, Tennessee.
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