In today's dynamic environment of multiple threats to our national defense, logistics must move quickly to meet demands. With this consideration at the forefront of its mission planning, the Joint Munitions Command (JMC) delivers munitions to support Soldiers and joint warriors during global operations.
JMC personnel strive to be the Department of Defense's (DOD's) premier munitions sustainers and demilitarization experts and to synchronize global munitions readiness efforts. The command is the logistics integrator for the life-cycle management of ammunition.
JMC produces small-, medium-, and large-caliber ammunition items for the DOD and distributes them from the depot to the foxhole. JMC's four core competencies are storage and surveillance, distribution, demilitarization, and production of class V (ammunition) as required.
THE MUNITIONS READINESS REPORT
A key indicator of JMC's success in ensuring mission readiness is the Munitions Readiness Report, which provides a worldwide view of war reserve and training ammunition statuses. It illustrates JMC's ability to provide munitions where and when they are needed.
The Munitions Readiness Report also provides the quality rating of the inventory. The report includes a view of continental United States ammunition supply points (ASPs) to help JMC determine its centralized ammunition management resupply needs. This view indicates whether or not the munitions supply chain is being used efficiently.
JMC is operationalizing its essential functions to ensure munitions readiness at the tactical level. The command has transitioned from being commodity-based to being process-focused. By focusing on its core competencies, JMC is poised to better anticipate customer requirements, identify demands from the field, and deliver munitions to sustain training base and combatant command (COCOM) readiness.
CAM
In 2002, JMC had critical shortages in 30 of 42 rated munitions groups. That year, to rebuild the broken supply chain, the Centralized Ammunition Management (CAM) system was established to enable the integration of wholesale and retail ammunition management. CAM encompasses five U.S. geographic regions and aligns JMC depots and customers with JMC's Enterprise Integrated Logistics Strategy.
CAM provides JMC with the ability to ship millions of rounds of ammunition annually to ASPs and COCOMs throughout the five regions. JMC uses the system to supply 85 ASPs in support of the military services and the test community. Through CAM, JMC's customers can maintain visibility of requisitions.
CAM allows JMC to project munitions in support of COCOMs, concept plans, and Army pre-positioned stock vessels to better enable support to global operations and training and to ensure optimal adaptability to the future operational environment. CAM also prevents an excess buildup of ammunition at the ASPs. Globally, CAM is used to supply 55 joint installations, including those in Puerto Rico and Honduras, and other theaters of operation.
MANAGING EFFICIENCY
An important part of the JMC's framework is a distribution network that balances readiness and efficiency. Over the past four years, the JMC network has shipped and received an average of 331,605 short tons of munitions annually.
Another important aspect is managing munitions storage requirements. While critical supporting supply depots sustain the stockpile, JMC analyzes storage footprints to ensure the depots have the proper storage capacity to meet DOD wholesale munitions storage requirements.
JMC works with Program Executive Office Ammunition to manage the demilitarization of stored ammunition. In order to ensure munitions readiness and a viable footprint in the future, JMC stores all munitions efficiently and economically while working to right-size excess infrastructure and munitions.
JMC takes into consideration the production and other third-party work performed at Army installations. The JMC network provides critical munitions production capabilities and support for a wide range of private and public customers. JMC uses an integrated business strategy to ensure installations sustain critical capabilities.
The revenue from production and third-party workload can help spread overhead costs. In addition, during a contingency outload surge, production and third-party depot personnel, as well as other personnel performing logistics functions, can be temporarily reassigned to supplement the outload distribution staff in order to move ammunition more quickly and efficiently. This additional "flex labor" allows each depot to increase its outload capacity from a lower initial level during the first week of the contingency to a maximum surge level.
The JMC headquarters also strives to ensure timely support to the COCOMs. In 2016, JMC stood up its COCOM desks to serve as direct liaisons from JMC to the COCOMs. COCOM desk personnel can elevate munitions issues, such as time-sensitive problems with resupply, shortages, or malfunctions, directly to the JMC commanding general.
SAAS-MOD
To support the Army Sustainment Command as the Army Materiel Command's face to the field, JMC uses the Standard Army Ammunition System-Modernization (SAAS-MOD) to track ammunition once it leaves a depot. ASPs, ordnance companies, and ammunition transfer holding points use SAAS-MOD to account for ammunition before issuing it to a unit. The current SAAS-MOD is being upgraded to provide more centralized and accurate information to support ammunition management.
SAAS-MOD provides munitions management functionality from the brigade through theater levels for the operational Army. In addition to managing assets, SAAS-MOD supports a combat commander's intent in forward positions and allows leaders to adapt to needs on the battlefield.
THE ORGANIC INDUSTRIAL BASE
JMC manages a nationwide network of organic industrial base installations that sustain critical capabilities, meet current mission requirements, and provide the ability to surge production of ammunition as required. The organic industrial base is essential to the nation's readiness and allows warfighters to be combat-ready.
Through continuous improvement initiatives, JMC has right-sized, made invulnerable, and modernized the organic industrial base. That base can anticipate and surge munitions in an uncertain and complex world to fulfill Army and joint warrior munitions requirements at the point of need.
COST-SAVING PROGRAMS
As JMC strives to be more effective, more efficient, and the best value for the Army and the DOD, it finds new ways to provide lethality to ensure warfighter success. This includes developing innovative solutions.
One example is the low-cost reduced-range practice rocket (LCRRPR) igniter rework program at Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA), Indiana. In order to provide LCRRPR igniters quickly and at a fraction of the cost of new procurement, CAAA recently developed a rework process, which includes fabrication of tooling and test equipment, for unserviceable igniters already in the inventory.
After successful testing of the first seven LCRRPR units at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, in the summer of 2016, CAAA stood up the process to complete another 100 units. CAAA is now a qualified supplier of the reworked LCRRPR igniters for the Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command.
CAAA reworks an igniter for roughly half the cost of a new igniter and eliminates shortages in the supply stream. Reworking 50,000 igniters would save the Army approximately $12.5 million.
A recent initiative at Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RFAAP), Virginia, is another example of JMC working to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. In January 2017, RFAAP shipped more than 2 million pounds of propellant to other locations for demilitarization. In doing so, RFAAP cleared out 22 active, within-code magazines and rented out that space.
This initiative saves money in two ways. First, it increases revenue by renting out the magazines. Second, it decreases overhead costs by ceasing maintenance of the magazines at the strict temperature and moisture quality-control thresholds required for propellant. RFAAP's staff will continue to consider how to move the other magazines on the installation to other locations, thereby maximizing capacity and lowering net costs.
ORDNANCE TRAINING
To support readiness, JMC assists in the training of ordnance Soldiers. Before a deployment, ordnance units require six months to become proficient in sustainment tasks. But in the past, they have lacked hands-on predeployment training. A JMC-led initiative called mobilized ordnance specific training (MOST) fills this gap and improves the readiness of deploying ammunition units. JMC is expanding MOST to include explosive ordnance disposal Soldiers from across the total force.
MOST is part of JMC's Total Force Integration initiative, which supports the implementation of the Army's Total Force Policy. It has two phases: munitions individual sustainment training (MIST) and munitions unit sustainment training (MUST).
MIST is individualized training on munitions tasks such as ammunition storage, shipping, accountability, and stock control. MIST training is available at five JMC-managed installations: Tooele Army Depot, Utah; McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Oklahoma; CAAA; Letterkenny Munitions Center, Pennsylvania; and Blue Grass Army Depot, Kentucky.
MUST supplements MIST by providing ammunition platoons with a unit training event designed to increase proficiency on mission-essential tasks. The MUST event includes topics such as explosives safety and loading operations.
From storage and surveillance to distribution, demilitarization, and production, JMC operationalizes the ammunition enterprise in support of munitions readiness for the total force. JMC provides lethal munitions from the depot to the foxhole to ensure warfighter success.
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Brig. Gen. Richard B. Dix is the commanding general of the Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command and the Joint Munitions Command. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from South Carolina State University, a master's degree in national resource strategy from the National Defense University, and a master's degree in materiel acquisition management from Webster University. He is also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
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This article was published in the May-June 2017 issue of Army Sustainment magazine.
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