Demilitarization Operation

Photo By 1st Lt. Natalia Palumbo | A simultaneous detonation of two pits containing Condition Code E and H ammunition.  

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT

04.21.2011

Story by 1st Lt. Natalia Palumbo 

553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion

Story by: Spc. Ekta Shrestha

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — A joint demilitarization operation was conducted on April 21. Units participating in the operation included the 452nd Ordnance Company, a Reserve unit based out of Aberdeen, S.D., 319th Explosive Ordnance Disposal, a National Guard unit from Camp Murray, Wash. and United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6 from Virginia Beach, Va. The operation ensured all Condition Code E and Condition Code H (unserviceable) ammunition were properly disposed of in the most efficient manner.

Code E and H include materials that have exceeded their shelf life, corroded or damaged and cannot be used for combat or training. These items are carefully separated from the serviceable munitions during Quality Assurance Specialist Ammunition Surveillance, Periodical Inspections and when ammunition is turned in by redeploying units.

Based on the type of ammunition, they are either burned or detonated.

“We burnt anything from .50 calibers and smaller, all the way down to 9 mm and 5.56 mm,” said Staff Sgt. Randall Gifford of Saint Joseph, Mo., who is one of the Ammunition Technicians for the 452nd ORD Co., “We blew up any larger than .50 calibers, including 125 mm, 60 mm [High Explosive] and 81 mm [White Phosphorus] mortars.”

The operation got rid of almost 133,000 rounds of unserviceable Kuwaiti and United States Military ammunition with a total value of almost $1.5million.

“We do this about four times a week,” said Staff Sgt. Ruben Mancillas, team leader for 319th EOD, “We have gotten rid of probably close to 60 tons of U.S. ammunitions and about 250 tons of Kuwaiti condition code H munitions since we got here in October of last year.”

Mancilla stated demilitarization operations, involving burning and detonating ammunitions, saves the United States government millions of dollars in shipping them back to the United States to be retrograded to serviceable condition.

Additional information provided by Staff Sgt. Randall Gifford.

• Date Taken: 04.21.2011
• Date Posted: 05.03.2011 02:10
• Story ID: 69739
• Location: CAMP BUEHRING, KW