Chris Crouch (far right), general manager for Raytheon Company at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., talks to leaders from the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Sill, Okla., about the Excalibur precision-guided extended range art...
Chris Whorton (far right), the supervisor in the 155mm demilitarization facility at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., tells leaders from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Sill, Okla., about the demilitarization process for the 1...
Terry Ward (far right), B-Line bomb and mines supervisor at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., and MCAAP Commander, Col. Sean M. Herron, talk to leaders from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Sill, Okla., about the production of ...
Lt. Col. Adam Cobb (left), commander, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Sill, Okla., examines the baseplate of a BLU-109 2,000-pound penetrator bomb during a tour of McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Okla., Feb. 11. Cobb brought 22 off...
Maj. James Johnson (second from left) and Lt. Col. Adam Cobb from the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Sill, Okla., observe Jeff Smith Jr. (far left) and Chris Rogers filling BLU-109 2,000-pound penetrator bombs with explosives durin...
McALESTER, Okla. -- Senior leaders from the military unit that assists with the training of next generation Army and Marine Corps artillerymen got a glimpse inside the production line of conventional munitions during a visit to McAlester Army Ammunition Plant here, Feb. 11.
Twenty-three officers and senior noncommissioned officers from the "Big Deuce" 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment from Fort Sill, Okla., made a trip across the state for leader professional development.
The visit began with the ammunition plant's command video, which provided an overview of MCAAP's core competencies: the production, storage, distribution and demilitarization of conventional munitions and rail line maintenance.
MCAAP Commander, Col. Sean M. Herron, then asked the visitors about the origins of their ammunition.
"It's important that you understand and take back the message that you've been here so you can explain to your Soldiers how and where their munitions are made," said Herron.
Through its command briefing, Herron explained the plant's relationship with its higher headquarters, Joint Munitions Command, and the Army Materiel Command, which oversees the 23 installations in the organic industrial base.
As part of the visit, Big Deuce leaders were given a guided tour of the BLU-109 2,000-pound penetrator production line. They also watched the manual demilitarization of obsolete and unserviceable 155 mm artillery rounds before making a final stop to observe the integration of the Excalibur precision-guided, extended range artillery round.
"It's been incredibly impressive," said 1st Lt. Nick Petramale, 2-2 FA fire direction officer. "It's amazing to see the industrial power."
Big Deuce's commander acknowledged the tour met his intent for leader development and made an impression on the leaders of his unit.
"My guys are in awe of how it's done at McAlester," said Lt. Col. Adam Cobb, commander of Big Deuce. "The things you do here every day to support the warfighter are truly amazing."
Since Sept. 2014, MCAAP has provided 11 tours of its production facilities for warfighters at Fort Sill attending the Advanced Field Artillery Officer Course and for two other units to give them a glimpse into the production of conventional munitions.
---------------------------
MCAAP is one of 14 installations of the Joint Munitions Command and one of 23 organic industrial base facilities under the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
Social Sharing