Courtesy Photo | The APE 1213 Grenade Pitch-in Barricade is one of the most commonly requested APE items.... read more read more
Ammunition Peculiar Equipment is used around the world, but there’s only one place in the world where you can get it. That place is Tooele Army Depot (TEAD).
In fact, the Ammunition Peculiar Equipment (APE) program objectives, as defined by AR 700-20, are “to provide a centralized source (italics added) of standard, modern, safe, reliable, and environmentally acceptable APE for ammunition operations”, and “to prevent injury to personnel and damage to ammunition and/or related facilities.”
TEAD, also known as “America’s Depot,” has been meeting those objectives since 1955. That’s when the APE program was established at the Depot in an effort to standardize the processes for safely handling the aging, surplus World War II ammo that was returned to the United States.
The Army defines APE as equipment, systems, and processes that are not commercially available and that require approval and/or certification for use in hazardous or explosive operations. APE is used to support conventional and chemical ammunition surveillance, demilitarization, maintenance, renovation, modification, testing, packaging, and preservation.
“There is, and always will be, a vital need for safe and effective equipment for the purpose of handling ammunition,” said Dustin Dorman, Manufacturing Division Chief in TEAD’s Industrial Operations Directorate. “Our APE experts at TEAD provide a service to our nation’s joint forces and allies that can’t be filled anywhere else.”
Col. Luke Clover, Commander, Tooele Army Depot, said, “Having been on the other end of the ammunition cycle, as a mortar man, I know how important it is that the munitions you’re issued are going to function as expected. That can make the difference between victory or defeat, between life or death, on the battlefield. One of the purposes of APE is to make sure the ammo will function as expected.”
There are hundreds of APE items, recognized world-wide by the unique and distinctive color known as APE green, from small equipment like pneumatic vices to large, complex systems like a rotary kiln deactivation furnace that fills an entire building and has external, ancillary equipment.
One of the most popular items is the APE 1213, Grenade Pitch-in Barricade. Other common items are the APE 1408M1 Small Arms Ammunition (SAA) Safety Certification Unit, which thermally certifies and renders safe all ammunition of 50 caliber and smaller, and the APE 1410 SAA Brass Deformer, which crushes brass cartridges in preparation for recycling.
Because standardized, safe handling of munitions is a top priority, the Army provides centralized funding for the APE program, allowing Army users access to APE on a free-issue loan basis. Military users other than the Army have access to APE on a reimbursable basis. APE may also be loaned to Government-owned, contractor-operated installations to support depot-type operations, in accordance with AR 700-20.
The centralized funding also covers full field support by TEAD’s highly trained and experienced equipment specialists, mechanical and electrical engineers, and engineering technicians. They travel anywhere in the world where APE is deployed to provide installation, training, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs of APE.
One of those general engineers is Brent Hunt. He has been involved with APE for 42 years, starting at TEAD as a summer hire in 1979. Hunt says his involvement with APE is very fulfilling. “I take satisfaction in knowing that my work with APE enables those in military services, who work with ammunition on a regular basis, to handle it within the ever-changing explosives safety and environmental standards.”
“Our purpose is to support the warfighter and surveillance, maintenance, and demilitarization workers,” Hunt said. “At the end of the day on the line, munition handlers will be able to go back home to their family and loved ones.”
TEAD supports APE customers globally, including in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, South Korea, and Japan. This supports our allies and their munitions handling needs.
As the only Department of Defense (DoD) installation that provides depot-level manufacturing, maintenance, and training support for APE, TEAD was designated by the Secretary of the Army as a Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for APE in 2010. That designation grants TEAD statutory authority to enter into public-private partnerships that may provide for:
• Employees of the CITE to perform work under contract related to the core competencies of the CITE.
• Private industry or other non-DoD entities to perform work under contract related to core competencies of the CITE.
• Private industry or other non-DoD entities to use, for any length of time consistent with DoD needs, any facilities or equipment not fully utilized for DoD work.
TEAD gained the CITE designation through its long experience, high level of expertise, unique and desired skillsets, and manufacturing capabilities, and for its distinction as the National Inventory Control Point for APE. As the NICP, all currently-undeployed APE, used and unused, is stored at TEAD. TEAD also maintains an inventory of parts for the equipment.
“APE is part of our identity in the Organic Industrial Base and the munition’s enterprise. It’s who we are, and we take great pride in the overall APE mission,” said Kevin Wilson, TEAD Director of Resource Management and former TEAD Manufacturing Program Integration Manager. “TEAD is trusted as the CITE for APE, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We strive to meet all our stakeholders’ needs and expectations; from those who provide funding and oversight to each operator who uses APE. TEAD has been providing solutions to those needs since 1955, and we look forward to providing those solutions for many years to come.”
Although TEAD is the CITE for APE, it’s important to note that the APE program at TEAD is supported by dedicated personnel at Rock Island Arsenal and Picatinny Arsenal.
The future of the APE program at TEAD is strong. With the development of new weapons comes the need for new APE to safely handle those weapons. TEAD has always had a close relationship with Army program management offices responsible for new weapons and munitions requirements. As new munitions are developed, TEAD is tasked with the design and manufacture of the equipment and capabilities for handling and demilitarizing those new munitions.
Likewise, if an external customer or a potential customer has a specific or unique need for ammunition operations, chances are TEAD has the equipment to handle it. If not, the team of APE experts will design, build, test, and certify the unique equipment to do the job right.
To inquire about requisitioning APE, send mission requirements to usarmy.ria.jmc.list.dl-ape-technical-support@army.mil.
| Date Taken: | 11.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2025 17:14 |
| Story ID: | 551442 |
| Location: | TOOELE ARMY DEPOT, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ammunition Peculiar Equipment at TEAD: Ensuring safe handling of lethal munitions for joint forces worldwide, by Wade Mathews, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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