In cooperation with the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard, Joint Munitions Command and personnel at its ammunition storage facilities completed Operation Patriot Press 2022 (OPP-22) this summer.

This annual exercise, established by the Army Material Command, trains Army Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard units to support the Army’s overall strategic positioning objectives.

Through the OPP-22 mission, Soldiers met annual training requirements and supported real world missions, completing more than 10 Mission Essential Task List requirements for 19 units. In the process, OPP-22 leveraged Army Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Components to realign 7,145 short tons (595 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) of munitions to operations across the enterprise.

While on site, they also executed depot operation missions at five JMC installations, including support to the emerging requirements for outload and storage improvement, freeing up approximately 75,000 square feet of storage space by aligning over 17,000 short tons of munitions, promoting distribution efficiency and flexibility across the network.

The successful Patriot Press program provides an opportunity for Army units to enhance logistical readiness and total force integration by working directly with active-duty counterparts under the JMC, which is headquartered at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois. JMC manages a complex munitions enterprise comprised of installations and depots across the United States where conventional munitions are produced, stored, distributed and demilitarized.

Patriot Press, which supports Army readiness, offers real-world scalable, flexible, and predictable training opportunities. During these missions, units conduct individual and collective Mission Essential Tasks.

Missions like Patriot Press support asset realignment, storage reform, field maintenance, local and long-haul freight transportation, receiving, configuring, managing, issuing, shipping and retrograding ammunition stock. Select Army units partnered with ammo storage locations around the country for the Army Materiel Command initiative.

“It affords Soldiers with real-world opportunities to transport, distribute, care and manage munitions while meeting the Army’s goals associated with asset realignment,” said JMC Command Sgt. Maj. Petra Casarez. “The training is key to ensuring Army Reserve and Guard Soldiers are ready for any real-world missions.”

Fifty members of the Michigan Army National Guard’s 1460th Transportation Company and the 266th Ordnance Company, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, joined with civilian ammunition and logistics experts at Crane Army Ammunition Activity. The Guard brought 20 Palletized Load Systems – a specialized heavy tactical truck that can self-load and unload shipping containers and other freight, including pallets of munitions – with them for the two week training.

Transport Operator Sgt. Brandley Gamber said his unit typically only handles small arms ammunition, not larger caliber munitions like many of the rounds stored at Crane Army Ammunition Activity in Indiana. He explained the importance of learning how to move a variety of munitions.

“When I was in artillery units I moved a ton of ammo, but this is something that is totally different,” Gamber said. “Personnel on the base move ammo all the time. They explain how to do it a little differently and explain the reason why.”

Sgt. Major David Lucas, the Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Assistant Deputy Commanding General (Army National Guard), Army Materiel Command, was impressed by how much the Soldiers valued the training.

“The ability to bring Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard together and have them conduct real world missions that allow the troops to train on their equipment and practice storage reform, long haul and safe handling of ammunitions is why we will not fail,” Lucas said.

At McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, more than 30 ammunition inspectors and 15 quality assurance specialists loaded long-haul tractor trailers with munitions for transport by Kentucky National Guard Soldiers with the 2113th Transportation Company, and Illinois National Guard Soldiers with the 1644th Transportation Company.

MCAAP surveilled, loaded and issued 36 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of munitions to Kentucky’s 2113th Transportation Company for redistribution to Anniston Munitions Center in Alabama. Fifty-three containers were issued to the 1644th Transportation Company from Illinois for redistribution to Crane. The Soldiers combined to transport more than 2 million pounds of explosive ordnance more than 2,200 miles through five states.

Soldiers from the Arizona Army National Guard’s 222nd Transportation Company hauled 40 shipping containers with approximately two million pounds of munitions from Tooele Army Depot in Utah, bound for Bluegrass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky. The 222nd specializes in the movement of dry cargo, refrigerated cargo, and bulk water products. Hauling munitions thousands of miles from one depot to another is a uniquely different challenge.

“On a tactical level, this mission was significant because it offered opportunities for our drivers to actually experience different road conditions,” said Company Commander Cpt. Alexander Neighbors. “We drove from low-level, sea-level locations through mountains, snow fall and thunderstorms in the Midwest. This was definitely an eye opener for our junior Soldiers. It was a major feat to travel through 10 states and complete the mission ahead of our deadline.”

Anniston Munitions Center hosted Soldiers from the 781st Transportation Company for Patriot Press, while the workforce at Letterkenny Munitions Center worked with members of the Army National Guard in New York, and the U.S. Army Reserve’s 351st Ordnance Company from West Virginia. Units completed inventory counts, processed over 798 short tons of inbound munitions, built container dunnage for over 40 shipping containers in support of outbound vessel and air shipments, and participated in several ongoing LEMC missions to support Joint Munitions readiness.

“Operation Patriot Press continues to grow in scope, providing and invaluable opportunity for soldiers and Army civilians to exercise critical sustainment tasks for the OIB and strengthen workforce/soldier inter-operability,” said LTC Timothy J Ballas, LEMC Commander.

As part of the training season closeout, JMC personnel participated in the AMC OPP After Action Review. The event also included an OPP FY23 planning session, incorporating the 113th Sustainment Brigade, which will be the lead entity for next year’s mission.

“JMC will continue to collaborate with the AMC Command team to utilize lessons learned to improve future missions and help develop the concept of operations for the FY23 training year,” said Katie Crotty, director of the Planning Directorate.