FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – U.S. Army Pacific Soldiers assigned to 63rd Ordnance Company, 13th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, established an ammunition supply activity for the first time in the Philippines, supporting Operation Pathways exercises Salaknib and Balikatan 24 at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 17, 2024.
An ASA team consists of ordnance Soldiers responsible for the receipt, disbursement, return, and overall accountability of munitions at a designated place. Establishing an ASA in a forward location affords munition specialists an opportunity to rehearse their core functions in deployment-like conditions.
“This is something we’ve been working to establish during Operation Pathways for a while now,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Zach Keough, senior munitions plans officer, USARPAC. “We were able to stand up the first ASA during Cobra Gold and Hanuman Guardian in Thailand and we’ll establish a few more over the summer.”
During Operation Pathways events prior to fiscal year 2024, training units sent Soldiers to Japan to inventory and sign for the ammunition from the 10th Support Group. After signing the ammunition documentation, the unit would receive the munitions in the exercise’s host country.
Once all training was complete, the units were responsible for retrograding all unused live ammunition and residual items back to 10th Support Group. Finally, the responsible personnel would return to Japan to complete the turn-in and reconcile their documents, according to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Vernon Wise, senior munitions officer, 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
“By establishing the ASA forward, we’re practicing the operational ammunition mission, creating a valuable training opportunity for ordnance Soldiers, while removing a major burden for the training audience,” said Wise. “We are putting into practice ammunition management via online operations in austere environments, west of the international date line. We are learning what areas we can improve, saving Soldiers’ time and the Army money, while also creating critical training for ordnance Soldiers and units.”
Not only did this mark the first time an ASA was established in the Philippines for Operation Pathways, the 63rd OD Company also signed for a record $4.1 worth of ammunition utilizing Standard Army Ammunition System, the Army’s digital system of record to account for munitions. The SAAS ensures accurate and timely data input to provide transparency of stockage across locations.
The record number dollar figure highlights the quality and realistic training the U.S. Military and Armed Forces of the Philippines experience throughout the back-to-back exercises.
“This is a great opportunity for our team to go forward and do our job in a deployed-like setting,” said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Bargender, accountable officer, 63rd OD Company. “I’m really proud of this team because not only are we pushing a ton of ammo, but the variety and caliber ranged from small arms to rockets.”
Soldiers assigned to the 60th Ordnance Company out of Fort Carson, Colorado, established the first ASA west of the international dateline during Operation Pathways exercises Cobra Gold and Hanuman Guardian 24 in Thailand earlier this year.
“All around this is a major win for USARPAC, 8th TSC and the Munitions community,” said Wise. “As equally important for the Soldiers establishing the ASA, it’s also a training event for the 10th Support Group and their purpose to function as the TSA.”
As U.S. Army Pacific munitions specialists continue to explore ways to innovate and employ ordnance units west of the international dateline, the friction and lessons learned that naturally occur when starting something new will improve systems and processes for future iterations.
The 8th Theater Sustainment Command coordinates and integrates operational-level sustainment in support of joint operations within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility to prepare the theater during competition.
Salaknib and Balikatan are annual exercises between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences.
Social Sharing