CHAIN REACTION
GPS-guided projectile with impeccable accuracy at extended ranges—in support of Ukraine and U.S. Army demands.
“We knew we couldn’t just send ammunition to Ukraine with- out also providing ammunition training,” said Keith Gooding, JPEO A&A director of talent management and Senior Service College Fellowship. “With this support to Ukraine, Picatinny has felt the increased importance on the U.S. 155 mm ammu- nition supply chain in order to meet requests and to continue to support U.S. requirements.”
Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems taps into the complex supply chain across the industrial base, including organic and commercial suppliers for 155 mm ammunition. After production is complete, rounds of ammunition are shipped to government depots in the U.S. and worldwide, where Joint Muni- tions Command can issue and distribute as needed.
Te program office develops, produces and equips U.S. Soldiers and Marines with conventional artillery and mortar ammuni- tion, precision ammunition, mortar weapons and mortar fire control systems. Under the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition (SMCA) responsibilities, PM CAS also procures ammunition for the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Special Operations Command and our allies.
“PM CAS is the life cycle program manager of artillery and mortar products in the categories of precision-guided munitions [including Excalibur and the Precision Guidance Kit], conven- tional munitions for mortars and artillery, artillery propellant and primers, fuzes and fuze setters, mortar weapon systems and mortar fire control systems,” said Peter Burke, deputy project manager for PM CAS.
“Trough its support to Ukraine, the U.S. has looked deeply into the current state of the industrial base that needs to oper- ate at a scale not seen since the 1980s,” Burke said. “Te result was the decision to accelerate and expand the supply chain to meet unprecedented wartime demand, greatly strengthening the industrial base.”
“We deliver lethal conventional and leap-ahead munitions and weapons to the warfighter, giving them a materiel edge over adversaries,” said Col. Leon Rogers, who is responsible for the PM CAS portfolio.
According to Ayoub, the M777 howitzer is significantly “more modern and accurate than the 152 mm towed artillery fleet that
64 Army AL&T Magazine Spring 2023
both Russia and Ukraine employ, and has a precision guidance munition capability out to significant ranges, providing over- match capabilities on the battlefield,” which has given Ukrainian soldiers a vital boost in firepower on the battlefield.
Shortages of Soviet-standard 152 mm ammunition—supplied by Russia and China—have reduced the value of Soviet-era artil- lery and have driven Ukraine to request support from the U.S. and its allies. Te request has given the U.S. the opportunity to reengage with the ammunition industrial base, modernizing processes and facilities and increasing capacities where needed.
CONCLUSION Modernization of the nation’s GOCO armaments production facilities was already an ongoing effort, and it is now even more critical for continued support to Ukraine and replenishing U.S. stockpiles.
“Te recent events in Ukraine have clearly demonstrated the strategic importance of the U.S. Army organic industrial base. Strong congressional support for additional funding, combined with new acquisition authorities, creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the future of ammunition production,” said Col. Jason Bohannon, PD JS project director.
Going forward, he said, cutting-edge manufacturing technolo- gies will be leveraged to create a more reliable and sustainable source of ammunition, and to create efficiencies that lead to lower operating costs for years to come. “Te modernized GOCOs will provide the critical manufacturing capability necessary to ensure the joint force and our international partners have the ammuni- tion required to deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars.”
For more information, go to
https://jpeoaa.army.mil.
CHERYL MARINO provides contract support to the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, as a writer and editor for Network Runners Inc. and Army AL&T magazine. She holds a B.A. in communications from Seton Hall University and has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience in both the government and private sectors. In addition to corporate communications, she is a feature writer and photojournalist for a biannual New Jersey travel magazine.
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