On March 14, the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant received its first-ever visit from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown Jr.
MCAAP is a subordinate of the Joint Munitions Command, whose mission is to provide global sustainment across the Army through ammunition production, storage, distribution, and demilitarization.
“MCAAP’s role within the Organic Industrial Base is centered around four major core competencies, but in particular, MCAAP’s expertise is in loading large warheads for the joint force,” said Col. Gabriel “Gabe” Pryor, MCAAP’s commander.
During a tour, Brown visited one of MCAAP’s outload facilities where crews work diligently to meet the distribution requirements of conventional ammunition for supporting partners. MCAAP’s Depot Operations has the capability of outloading 435 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units daily when mission essential.
Brown also observed the load, assemble pack process of the 2,000-pound Air Force conventional bomb. The LAP process consists of prepping and filling the bombs with explosive material before they are directed to inventory where they are strategically arranged. This facility has the capacity to produce large quantities of bombs with internal and external manufactured equipment.
After touring the bomb line, Brown viewed MCAAP’s state of the art Air Force funded Multi-Purpose Load Facility that provides a more modern approach of equipment and functionality for the LAP process. This facility has the ability to support the production of 2,000-to-30,000-pound assets as well as providing flexible mixing options needed for future requirements. This project is scheduled to be completed by late spring to early fall of this year.
“Our mission is to remain ready, reliable, and lethal at any given time,” Pryor said. “By modernizing operations, we’re buying down risk of single points of failure in order to support the joint force within the OIB.”
Brown’s tour ended at two of MCAAP’s major missile operations where he observed the tedious processes of renovating the HAWK and Stinger missiles. These missiles are tested, renovated, and recertified by MCAAP’s skillful and highly trained technicians.
“It was an absolute pleasure visiting McAlester and engaging with a workforce that is truly passionate about its role of supporting the Joint Warfighter,” Brown said. “Witnessing their innovative and collaborative spirit first-hand gives me confidence they are aligned with modernizing and aggressively leading with new concepts and approaches.”
MCAAP, a Government-Owned, Government-Operated installation, is housed on more than 45,000 acres with more than 2,600 buildings, including more than 2,260 earth-covered magazines, 163 storage warehouses and storage capacity of 6.3 million square feet.
MCAAP’s operations are essential for support to the OIB, as well as the Warfighter.
Social Sharing