JMC meets munitions demilitarization challenges

Photo By Sal (Tony) Lopez | The Super Pull Apart Machine (SPAM) is a key component in the 30MM demilitarization process. Here, the SPAM is disassembling depleted uranium rounds at the Tooele Army Depot.  

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL, UNITED STATES

03.17.2020

Story by JMC Public Affairs Office 

Joint Munitions Command

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, III. – Joint Munitions Command’s mission includes demilitarization, which is a critical core competency supporting the Army’s munitions readiness. Demilitarization and disposal of excess, obsolete, and unserviceable munitions are the final steps in the life-cycle management of unused munitions. JMC actively manages its munitions stockpile to eliminate assets that have become liabilities and ensure they are disposed of properly. When military munitions can no longer be used, JMC disposes of them by recycling or recovering parts of the munition for use in new production, performing demilitarization utilizing closed disposal technologies, open burn, or open detonation processes depending on the type of munition.

Today’s munitions demilitarization stockpile footprint is approximately 375,000 short tons of material, which includes both conventional ammunition and missiles. With JMC’s stockpile management, strategy and aggressive demilitarization program, the command has reduced excess, obsolete and unserviceable munitions on an average of 48,000 short tons per year since 2015. This empties the equivalent of 367 storage igloos each year.

“JMC is focused on reducing the demilitarization stockpile as rapidly as possible to manage total cost and vacate more space in storage igloos for new munitions needed by the Joint Warfighter,” said Celia Hadden, director, Demilitarization Directorate. “Our demilitarization efforts have greatly increased the Army’s munitions readiness posture.” JMC’s goal is to reduce the demilitarization stockpile to 100,000 short tons in the next seven years. All efforts and initiatives in the demilitarization program are focused on accomplishing this goal.

However, JMC is currently facing challenges with ammunition life-cycle management as some older ammunition can be harder to demilitarize. “For decades munitions were designed for performance and with specific requirements in mind and little thought was given to the idea of disassembly or disposal,” said Todd Vesely, demilitarization team lead.

Until recently, JMC focused on single items with large tonnage to gain efficiency in processes and begin driving down the stockpile as quickly as possible. Examples of large tonnage items processed by the commercial contractors were improved conventional munitions, cluster bomb units and the Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Additionally, JMC’s organic installations have had significant capacities to open burn bulk propellant and propelling charges. “This process has been workloaded heavily over the years and now the stockpile of propellant in the demilitarization account is nearly depleted,” noted Hadden.

Disassembly and environmentally compliant methods for disposal of hazardous components and chemicals is challenging and presents many safety issues. However, JMC is working through the process to achieve success.

One example is the mine from the Area Denial Artillery Munition (ADAM) 155mm projectile. “The mine was assembled using an epoxy containing depleted uranium (DU) and requires a demilitarization process called cryofracture to freeze the mine and crush it to enable separation of the DU and energetic components,” said Vesely. “The DU rubble is containerized and shipped to a specialized burial site and the energetic components are then incinerated. This process is expensive and time consuming”

To demilitarize ammunition, it's necessary to have constituent information about the munition to support environmental compliance activities and environmental reporting. This ensures that demilitarization treatment capabilities can operate effectively and safely. Finding and cataloging this constituent information is even more challenging and time consuming as the remaining demilitarization stockpile has become more diverse, with lower quantity items. The Munitions Characterization Division continues to work a number of initiatives to accelerate the characterization process, to include exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence tools to more rapidly and accurately perform time-consuming research and review of documents, data bases and websites.

For some items, very little information is available regarding constituents. To overcome this problem and to make more munitions available for demilitarization execution, the Demilitarization Directorate is employing a new integrated process. This effort involves analysis of like items and diagnostic analysis using specialized tools. This method enables reverse engineering of treated components to provide sufficient information to support environmental reporting for demilitarization operations. Likewise, the Demilitarization Directorate is working to accelerate development and fielding of new demilitarization technologies to enable processing of stocks that have not previously had a technical solution or are in need of an improved technological solution for safe, effective and efficient demilitarization.

Demilitarizing older ammo creates unique challenges and often involves additional time however, JMC is properly disposing unserviceable ammunition through the safest processes at the least expense for the taxpayer.

JMC’s mission provides the Joint Force with ready, reliable and lethal munitions at the speed of war to sustain global readiness. With these efforts to demilitarization unserviceable munitions, JMC continues to excel at providing the Joint Force with the lethality needed to win in future battlefield operations.

• Date Taken: 03.17.2020
• Date Posted: 03.17.2020 12:02
• Story ID: 365362
• Location: ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL, US