CRANE, Ind. - Crane Army Ammunition Activity workers prepared, loaded and shipped 300 containers to Hawthorne Army Depot this summer as part of an initiative to ensure materiel readiness across the ammunition enterprise.
Hawthorne Army Depot needed to ship approximately 300 containers of unserviceable 105mm ammunition assets to Blue Grass Army Depot for recapitalization. However, a container outload that size would cause HWAD to fall below the minimum on-hand serviceable container count required in case of a contingency outload scenario and decrease readiness.
Joint Munitions Command, the higher headquarters of most organizations in the Organic Industrial Base, including Crane Army, Bluegrass and Hawthorne, coordinates assets at each subordinate installation to ensure materiel readiness across the board. Because Crane Army was already shipping these otherwise empty containers to HWAD, JMC personnel identified 120 containers of unserviceable munitions that were designated for future shipment to HWAD in a separate mission and combined the two.
To meet the tight timeline required for this multi-phase operation, Crane Army Depot Operations personnel developed and implemented a plan to load the munitions and prepare all 300 containers for shipment in mere weeks.
"Crews and equipment were scheduled and approximately 800 pallets of materiel were moved, prepped, dunnage built, containers blocked, paperwork prepared, approximately 120 containers loaded, inspected, sealed and placed on rail cars," CAAA Rail Supervisor Robert England said. "This entire operation occurred within three weeks."
Combining the container transport mission with shipping assets for demilitarization conserved taxpayer dollars and vacated valuable storage space at Crane Army that can now hold serviceable ammunition assets for warfighters.
JMC Logistics Planning's Tara Jackson, who helped coordinate the operation and its short turnaround time, appreciated the hard work from everyone involved.
"JMC has a heavy focus on proper asset positioning throughout the ammo network to ensure supply meets demand, on time, every time," Jackson said. "The timeline was incredibly rigorous, but everyone stepped up to ensure a positive mission outcome. This operation couldn't have happened without relentless support from the entire team."
After unloading the containers at Hawthorne, the containers were reloaded with 105 mm rounds and delivered to Bluegrass Army Depot in Lexington, Kentucky for use in a recapitalization program.
Crane Army Ammunition Activity produces and provides conventional munitions requirements in support of U.S. Army and Joint Force readiness. It is one of 17 installations of the Joint Munitions Command and one of 23 organic industrial bases under the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which include arsenals, depots, activities and ammunition plants. Established Oct. 1977, it is located on Naval Support Activity Crane.
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