Operation Patriot Press 2023 exercises ‘a win-win’

The Joint Munitions Command — in collaboration with the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard — conducts Operation Patriot Press each year.

This exercise, established by the Army Materiel Command, is designed to promote readiness by providing real world training for Army requirements and to achieve training towards Mission Essential Task requirements for Army active duty, Army Reserve, National Guard, and various other service branches.

Twenty-eight units participated in 24 exercises for JMC OPP missions this year. Soldiers met their annual training requirements and support real-world missions through OPP-23, while realigning 3,804 short tons (274 twenty-foot equivalent units) of munitions across the enterprise. They also executed depot operation missions at five JMC installations, including support to the emerging Presidential Drawdown priorities for outload and storage improvement, by aligning over 16,579 short tons of munitions.

OPP-23 provided an opportunity for units to enhance logistical readiness and total force integration by working directly with active-duty counterparts and Civilian workforce under JMC.

“OPP was a very valuable learning tool for us,” said Col. Zaire Mcrae, commander of the North Carolina National Guard's 113th Sustainment Brigade. “For the company level and below units, OPP provided them with special training on their core competencies. It provided them in a static environment and met real world requirements, and I think that was a win-win. For the brigade, the battalion, and mission command levels, OPP allowed them to improve upon their mission command processes in preparation for their next level of training.

“OPP is a valuable asset to relationship building. It gave operational forces the ability to support and gain knowledge from strategic sustainers, and it also provided clarity to our sustainment relationships,” she added. “OPP is providing valuable services to the Army strategic support area and validated the relevance of single forces across the military. It should be an enduring training development exercise.”

JMC OPP-23 missions took place at seven locations — Anniston Munitions Center in Alabama, Crane Army Ammunition Activity in Indiana, Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada, Letterkenny Munitions Center in Pennsylvania, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in Oklahoma, and Tooele Army Depot in Utah, which are all JMC installations.

JMC provides the conventional ammunition life-cycle functions of logistics sustainment, readiness and acquisition support for all U.S. military services, other government agencies, and allied nations as directed. JMC is the logistics integrator for life-cycle management of ammunition providing a global presence of technical support to frontline units.

Throughout JMC OPP-23 missions, units partnered with ammunition storage locations around the nation for the AMC initiative, and Soldiers configured, issued, managed, received, and shipped stock.

“We executed the largest OPP we’ve ever done before. Next year, it’s looking like that it is going to be even bigger than this year,” said Maj. Gen. Michelle Rose, Assistant Deputy Commanding General, AMC. “We have to take OPP to the next level. We are basically going through growing pains right now, but we can’t have them stop the great things that are going on.

“It is important to take the lessons learned and start applying them across the Army,” she added.

Unit participation in OPP is not mandatory, and specific missions are listed in an Army database, including the types of ammo to be moved as well as the drop off and pick up locations. Units can select missions that meet their respective training requirements. The system benefits Soldiers by providing them with valuable experience.

“The impact from a training aspect and value to the Army was simply amazing,” said Myles Miyamasu, AMC G3. “JMC has recognized the value of OPP.”

Units who took part in JMC OPP-23 missions include:

- The 163rd Ordnance Company, Army Reserve (California)

- Detachment 1 Combat Logistics Battalion, U.S. Marines Reserve (California)

- The 144th and 1218th Transportation Company, Army National Guard (Florida)

- The 1244th Transportation Company, Army National Guard (Illinois)

- The 2112th and 2123rd Transportation Company, Army National Guard (Kentucky)

- The 1229th Transportation Company, Army National Guard (Maryland)

- The 1460th and 1463rd Transportation Company, Army National Guard (Michigan)

- The 1231st Transportation Company, Army National Guard (Missouri)

- The 295th Ordnance Company, Army Reserve (Nebraska)

- The 1115th Transportation Company, Army National Guard (New Mexico)