MCALESTER, Okla. - Forty-two interns graduated May 5 from the Army's oldest career program, the U.S. Army Defense Ammunition Center's Quality Assurance Specialist (Ammunition Surveillance) career program.

Students who came from across the United States completed 12 months of extensive technical training in ammunition logistics, safety, surveillance, and hazardous materials as well as Lean Six Sigma curriculum. The interns have recently been assigned to 12 different locations to complete a one-year On-the-Job Training.

According to Chuck Stroo, sssociate director for training, "the interns will be assuming positions in the ammunition community that are an essential part of the DoD's Global War on Terror."

The job functions of a QASAS include establishing an ammunition surveillance program to determine the condition of the ammunition stockpile, establishing procedures that assure functionally reliable ammunition is safe for storage, handling and use, performing inspections on Class V materials to include conventional munitions, missiles and rockets, and chemical surety material and performing explosives safety surveys and inspections on explosives operations and facilities.

Addressing the students at the graduation ceremony, were two veteran QASAS, James Young and Steve Penrod.

In addition to the benefits to our military, the career programs at DAC also have a significant impact on the local economy. Currently there are 61 interns in the McAlester area with a new class of 20 starting in August.

DAC provides ammunition-related training annually to more than 30,000 military, civilian and international students enrolled in a variety of educational arrangements, including on-site, off-site, and web-based training.