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NSA Crane, Indiana – The turn of a new fiscal year offers a great time to look back at successes of the previous twelve months and, although FY 2025 started somewhat ordinarily for Crane Army Ammunition Activity, the year turned out to anything but business as usual. Despite challenges and hurdles that presented themselves along the way, the depot experienced an overall positive business year.
“Although we lost several valued team members to early retirement and were presented with a hiring freeze, among other challenges, we did pretty well,” said Col. Aaron Cornett, CAAA commander, referring to two rounds of the Deferred Retirement Program and a Defense Department, now Department of War, freeze on most new hires. “Everyone on the team stepped up to fill our staffing gaps and worked hard to move our mission forward,” he added.
The following are a few of Crane Army’s highlights and successes from FY25.
Facilities and Logistics Division
Most notably, the Facilities and Logistics Division developed a $615M, five-year infrastructure and equipment investment plan that will compete for funding within various appropriations to ensure that CAAA and the Army remain on a sustainable strategic path in the future. The plan is part of Army Materiel Command’s comprehensive, 15-year modernization plan for the entirety of the AMC Organic Industrial Base.
The division also continued to coordinate modernization of equipment inventory and maintenance procedures, data integrity and internal controls. Within this initiative, the team also looked at ways to document and develop preventative maintenance actions where needed and made advancements in improving data quality and integrity by linking parts costs to equipment in their maintenance system, updating equipment condition codes and status, as well as tying all repair parts checked out of the tool room to a work order. The team also improved bench stock accountability and financial tracking by linking bench stock to specific programs.
Safety Division
The Safety Division reported a reduction in injuries from the previous FY. Lost time cases were down by 25%, days away, restricted or transferred cases were down by 70%, and the total case incident rate was down by 10%. The team also successfully completed CAAA and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Explosives Safety Self-Assessment and the Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity Explosives Safety Inspection for Crane Army ranges and Category I and II magazines.
Manufacturing and Engineering Directorate
Crane Army’s Manufacturing and Engineering Directorate reported being engaged in more than 150 ongoing programs during FY25. Some of the most notable projects included developments in the Mine Clearing Line Charge Launcher Renovation and Fabrication project, the Sidewinder Aerial Optical Threat Detection program, the Safety and Arming Device program, and the Electronic Safety and Arming Device missile maintenance program.
The ME directorate was notably successful in identifying a domestic producer of zirconium hydride to replace foreign producers and began receiving and acceptance testing of the critical illumination candle component.
The directorate also assembled a clean up team to provide support to safely clean storage magazines of spilled and leaking explosives, correct packaging and rotting pallet issues, and safely remove recovered explosives to an open detonation range on NSA Crane. The team, colloquially known as Spill Team Six, successfully cleared 21 storage magazines of suspect material, ensuring the safe storage of remaining materials in those magazines and freeing up additional storage space.
Depot Operations Directorate
Crane Army’s Depot Operations Directorate reported significant advancements in safety, readiness and operational flexibility for FY25. Notably, the directorate team oversaw the full implementation of the CAAA Railroad Safety Program, an innovative model that has become the model for the entire Army railroad enterprise. The program promotes a strong culture of safety and has proven effective in reducing mishaps, heightening awareness and standardizing operations across Army rail.
The DO directorate executed more than 5,700 conveyances moving more than 40,000 short tons of outbound material during FY25. In the same period, the DO team took in more than 37,000 short tons of material. The team exceeded the demanding AMC threshold of 98% Perfect Order Fulfillment with an extraordinary 98.4 execution rate.
The directorate also implemented a strategic restructuring aimed at increasing operational efficiency and strengthening oversight. The restructuring consolidates shipping, receiving, and material movements under a single internal logistics function, creating a more streamlined supply chain.
The DO team also initiated a qualification tracking system designed to optimize operations through monitoring each employee’s individual qualifications and on the job training, providing supervisors with data needed to strategically assign personnel to tasks they are suited and qualified for.
Activity Support Directorate
The AS Directorate team worked to streamline the manufacturing reporting process to better enable a “big picture” view of manufacturing. Due to their FY25 efforts, engineers will begin working with a new Quality Ratio scorecard to better understand workflows.
The team also worked at keeping people safe through regular inspections, munitions storage checks, and safety checks. They also helped with more than three dozen special safety checks.
Notably, the AS team also made business development advancements by opening new lines of business in support of the Army’s Transformation Initiative. While traditional munitions remain the Crane Army core business, the team explored ways to expand into new areas to reinvigorate the industrial base. Areas explored included remilitarizing obsolete munitions, arming drones and rockets, and partnering with industry to improve chemical supply chains for the U.S. and its allies.
Operations Directorate
Crane Army’s Operations Directorate developed a new battle rhythm calendar designed to track meetings, reports, and key events across the organization. The calendar will improve organizational efficiency and will help to ensure clear communication, better coordination and timely execution of tasks.
The Ops team also merged two existing reports into one, improved product. The Daily Cost Report solves inefficiencies while allowing analysts to perform deeper analysis with the goal of greater organizational impact. The team also streamlined the cost estimation process, allowing for greater accuracy and cost effectiveness. The team also tackled design and phased implementation of a Common Operating Picture tool that promises to allow real-time decision-making operational analytics.
In a first, CAAA’s Emergency Management and Continuity of Operation programs received a first-time go with 100% passing scores during the Army Materiel Command’s tri-annual protection assessment, a massive accomplishment considering the programs non-existence prior to 2017.
Personnel Division
The Personnel Division team dealt with the first ever “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation program initiated as part of the Department of Government Efficiency effort to reduce the federal workforce. Several members of the CAAA took the deal and, combined with a hiring freeze in the federal workforce, created a critical imbalance in knowledge management.
The team navigated complex rules and process changes by vertically aligning organizational goals from the deputy level down. The team also created a structured system to reward personnel who meaningfully contributed to the strategic objectives of the depot.
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CAAA produces and provides conventional munitions in support of U.S. Army and Joint Force readiness. It is part of the Joint Munitions Command and the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which include arsenals, depots, activities, and ammunition plants. Established Oct. 1977, it is located on Naval Support Activity Crane.
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2025 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 553675 |
| Location: | CRANE, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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