A week of bustling activity at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant’s depot operations outload sites ensured the depot operations team executed its outload mission with a 100% completion rate and 19 hours ahead of the surge outload exercise scheduled stop time.
The exercise began on June 3 and was completed on June 7 with the depot operations team prepping and packaging almost 500 twenty-foot equivalent units in nine 12-hour shifts.
“The shipping of ammunition to the warfighter attracts a certain vigor from the MCAAP team. When experiencing this mission activity on the distribution pads, there just isn’t a greater feeling of patriotism that can be applied to our duty as Army Civilians,” said Todd Stone, MCAAP’s depot operations director. “It is simply moving to watch thousands of tons of ammunition, prepared and loaded by the MCAAP teammates, to be shipped to serve our nation. This is truly where the rubber meets the road.”
In coordination with the Transportation Engineering Agency, MCAAP sent munitions Outside the Continental U.S. in support of U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, and Presidential Drawdown requirements demonstrating the installation’s capability of ramping up outload requirements with short notice.
“I am extremely proud of the mission our depot operations team recently completed,” said Col. Gabe Pryor, MCAAP’s commander. “It can be difficult to operate as a well-oiled machine during a long-sustained outload, but the team welcomed the task and executed the mission with precision.
“The highly skilled workforce of MCAAP allows us to remain ready, reliable, and lethal at any given time,” Pryor added. “Our depot operations team worked diligently to ensure safety and readiness.”
The mission of MCAAP, a subordinate of the Joint Munitions Command, is to provide global sustainment across the Army through ammunition production, storage, distribution, and demilitarization. The government-owned, government-operated installation is housed on more than 45,000 acres and has the storage capacity of 6.3 million square feet.
By Julia Hawkins