The <a href="https://www3.dac.army.mil/">U.S. Army Defense Ammunition Center</a>, McAlester, Okla., was presented the Army Superior Unit Award by Brig. Gen. James E. Rogers, commanding general, U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command Dec. 13 for meritorious performance of a difficult and challenging mission during the time period of Dec. 26, 2004 through Dec. 27, 2006.

DAC is a subordinate organization within JMC and serves as the center for ammunition logistical support and knowledge throughout the Department of Defense. DAC provides support in the areas of explosives safety, logistics engineering, transportability, training, doctrine, demilitarization technology, supportability, reliability, technical assistance and career management throughout DoD.

DAC serves as the Army's Hazard Classifier coordinating actions with the Navy, Air Force, Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board and Department of Transportation. DAC operates and maintains the Joint Hazard Classification System on behalf of the DoD. This database contains hazard classification information on over 16,000 ammunition and explosives items in the DoD inventory.

DAC also serves as the Army approver for explosives and chemical agent safety site plans for operations and storage. In direct support to the warfighter, DAC developed the Automated Tactical Ammunition Classification System. The ATACS is capable of sorting and classifying 50,000 rounds of mixed small arms ammunition from 5.56 mm through .50 cal per eight hour shift, and has processed five million rounds since 2004 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

A second ATACS installed at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif. has processed two million rounds since installation in 2006. A third ATACS is in process for integration into the Desert Optimized Equipment Workshop which will provide a transportable, self contained workshop for fielding to Southwest Asia.

Along with providing critical equipment to the warfighter, DAC provides joint service ammunition-related training to over 35,000 military and civilian students annually. DAC also manages the Army's oldest career program, the Quality Assurance Specialist Ammunition Surveillance and the Ammunition Managers career program.

Combined, these career programs provide over 1000 qualified civilians in the field supporting the warfighter. DAC also produces the Yellow Book, formally known as the Hazard Classification of United States Military Explosives and Munitions.

The Yellow Book serves as a guide and is a handy user friendly consolidated reference to help soldiers in the field with basic data on ammunition and explosive criteria. In response to 911, DAC developed AMMOHELP, an informational database that allows soldiers and civilians to ask questions on any aspect of A&E management, operations and use.

Questions can be submitted by email, phone or through the DAC Web site. All responses are provided by subject matter experts and over 3800 questions have been received and answered since the program began in 2002.