SOLIDIFYING THE BASE
SUPPORTING MULTIPLE PLATFORMS PEO Ammunition is the single manager for conventional ammunition. In its supporting role, PD MC is responsible for procuring medium- caliber combat and training ammunition for the Army, Air Force, Navy and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to use on a variety of platforms. (SOURCE: PM MAS)
their administrative costs, then took action to eliminate those areas of waste, bucking “business as usual.”
MULTIPLE CHALLENGES In July 2005, the PEO authorized its Project Manager for Maneuver Ammu- nition Systems (PM MAS) to establish a Product Manager for Medium Can- non Caliber Ammunition (PM MCC) to provide life-cycle management of combat and training ammunition for 20 mm, 25 mm and 30 mm caliber ammunition. In 2010, PM MCC was designated as the Product Director for Medium Caliber Ammunition (PD MC) with the addi- tion of the 40 mm Grenade Program. Given that PEO Ammunition serves as the single manager for conventional ammunition, PD MC is responsible for procuring medium-caliber combat and training ammunition for the Army, Air Force, Navy and U.S. Special Operations Command.
When the PD MC office was established, all types of medium-caliber ammuni- tion were being procured as single items for a single year’s budget. Tere are doz- ens of different types of ammunition in PD MC’s portfolio, and each had its own contract vehicle for procure- ment. Contracting and ammunition prime contractors could only react to the release of the Army budget as well as the release of funds for execution from vari- ous
joint-service program offices. Tis
acquisition approach required immense resources from the program office as well as from multiple contracting personnel at U.S. Army Contracting Command – Rock Island [IL], the Joint Munitions Command and the Defense Contract Management Agency.
In late 2007 and early 2008, the United States was in the middle of the Iraq surge and had a second major front in Afghani- stan. While the ammunition industrial
base was healthy in the short term, it had the potential to become extremely unstable. Te medium-caliber training ammunition stockpiles were filled and, in some cases, exceeded inventory autho- rizations. In addition, the Army and sister services’ operational tempo had drasti- cally reduced the amount of available training time, which led to decreased use of training ammunition.
Tese two factors were leading to decreased funding for training rounds to be available in the out-years. Although the military was still engaged on two separate fronts, the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan were meeting with increased public and political resistance, contributing to a strong expectation that operations would diminish significantly in scope or end outright in the next five to eight years.
As a result of the MCFA, the NTIB for medium-caliber ammunition has sustained dual-source capabilities for all eight critical capabilities and has maintained the lines and facilities to produce all required medium- caliber ammunition for DOD.
48 Army AL&T Magazine October-December 2015
As the combat efforts diminished, the expenditures of tactical ammuni- tion would also decline. Since the tactical stockpiles had already been replenished with supplemental funds for overseas contingency operations and by reprogramming, the funding for medium-caliber
tactical ammunition would also see a major reduction.
THE FAMILY BUY STRATEGY Te PD and deputy PD, in conjunction with the PM MAS team, conceived a new method of acquiring medium-caliber ammunition as a “family” as opposed
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