101 Ordnance Command and Contro Flashcards
101.1 Discuss PACFLT N4 roles and responsibilities in directing ordnance operations.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) Logistics Readiness Center (LRC)/N4 Ordnance section, in coordination with LRC Director and Chief, sets policy for required levels of ordnance. It maintains status of Class V (Ordnance) items and support systems including weapons handling equipment and bunkers. Coordinates with Contiguous United States ordnance commands to track status of Class V supply pipelines. Supports Operational Planning Teams and Maritime Targeting Working Group to maximize availability of Class V to support operations. Interacts with Operational subordinate unit Ordnance Officers, and Transportation Officer to ensure ordnance requirements are supported. Works with Host Nation Support Officers to obtain host nation clearance to store, load, transport, and handle weapons in accordance with local requirements. Develops relationships with other service and higher headquarters Class V officers to obtain knowledge of sources of supplies and status of supply pipelines. Provides input to the daily Logistics Situation Report. Provides the LRC Director daily status of critical ordnance.
In addition to the above, a major function of the PACFLT LRC Ordnance section is to work with US Fleet Forces (USFF) LRC’s Ordnance section and the Ordnance section of Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) N41 and N8 to develop the Navy’s ordnance requirements.
101.2 Discuss the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force component ordnance command structure and their relationship to PACFLT, the Ordnance Logistician, and PACOM.
U.S. Marine Corps (USMC): U.S. Navy is responsible for supporting the Marine Corps aviation ordnance requirements. PACFLT LRC Ordnance section is staffed with a USMC Ordnance Officer to assist in USMC Aviation Ordnance management. Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) is responsible for working with the USMC maneuver units (First and Third Marine Expeditionary Forces – I MEF and III MEF) to establish USMC ground ordnance levels and set USMC ground ordnance policy. A significant source of USMC ordnance is the ships of the Maritime Preposition Ship (MPS) Squadrons (MPSRON), afloat in the southwest Pacific. The MPS/MPSRONs are operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC).
U.S. Army: The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) is the army component unit of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. USARPAC supports the its maneuver elements (Eighth Army, I Corps, US Army Alaska, US Army Japan and 8th Theater Sustainment Command and others). USARPAC is important to the PACFLT Ordnance Officers because there are several shared munitions – small arms and helicopter ordnance. The US Army also has munitions on prepositioned ships that are operated by MSC.
U.S. Air Force: Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. Major maneuver elements are Fifth, Seventh and Eleventh Air Forces. The PACAF Ordnance Officer is important to the PACFLT Ordnance section because the Air Force and the Navy share many of the same aviation weapons including Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) as well as all air-to-air missiles. The Air Force also has munitions on prepositioned ships that are operated by MSC.
101.3 Discuss the role of the USPACOM J4 ordnance office in PACFLT AOR ordnance planning and operations.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Ordnance Officer is responsible for coordinating munitions requirements and supplies in the INDOPACOM Area of Responsibility and is key to any redistribution between services of munitions in the AOR and is vital for redistribution of munitions between Geographic Combatant Commanders.
- 4 Discuss the three Navy Munitions Commands (NMC).
a. Who do the commands report to?
b. What types of ordnance do they manage?
c. Where are they located in the INDOPACOM AOR?
d. What other services do they provide that may be beneficial to ordnance logistics?
There are three Navy Munitions Commands: Navy Munitions Command Pacific (NMCPAC) Continual US (CONUS) West Division, NMCPAC East Asia Division, and NMC Atlantic. The three Navy Munitions Commands operate the Navy’s magazines that are the primary loading point for US Navy ships and provide long term weapons storage. The NMCs provide ordnance management which includes receipt, segregation, storage, issue (RSSI) as well as assembles and maintains weapons.
a) Navy Munitions Command Pacific (NMCPAC) Continual US (CONUS) West Division – Reports to U.S. Pacific Fleet
NMCPAC East Asia Division – Reports to U.S. Pacific Fleet
NMC Atlantic – Reports to U.S. Fleet Forces Command
b) The NMCs support all non-nuclear munitions, including short term holding for other services and support for foreign military sales
c) Pearl Harbor, Sasebo, Guam, Misawa, Okinawa, Diego Garcia
d) NMCs provide manning and equipment for Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) that rearm vertical launch systems on cruisers and destroyers.
101.5 Discuss the role of Naval Supply Systems Command Ordnance Division (NAVSUP-AMMO) in ordnance operations.
NAVSUP – AMMO provides wholesale inventory management, operates the Ordnance Information System that provides near-real time inventory and tracking data, and arranges/assists in arranging movement of ordnance.
- 6 Discuss the role and responsibilities of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) with respect to ordnance operations in the PACFLT AOR. (www.msc.navy.mil)
a. Explain the MSC chain-of-command.
b. Discuss the MSC vessels used to support ordnance resupply/distribution.
MSC is one of the three branches of US Transportation Command. MSC controls the replenishment, special purpose and military transport ships of the Navy. MSC has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US military services as well as for other government agencies. MSC has three major aspects: 1) Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships that provide replacement to the Navy’s combatants; 2) Fleet Support and Special Mission ships, that provide a range of services including hospital ships, survey ships, and submarine support and includes prepositioned ships which provide forward at-sea storage and transportation of USMC, USAF and DLA equipment and supplies, and 3) Combatant Command Support that includes Sealift/Naval Transportation (NAVTRANS) that provides ocean transportation for the services and DLA. See: MSC 2018-2019 Handbook.
a) MSC reports through three distinct and separate chains of command:
To U.S. Transportation Command for defense transportation matters. USTRANSCOM provides coordination of air, land, and sea transportation for the Department of Defense.
To U.S. Fleet Forces Command for Navy-unique matters. USFF provides combat ready forces forward to Numbered Fleets and Combatant Commanders around the globe in support of United States national interests.
To the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) for procurement policy and oversight matters. ASN (RDA) provides weapons systems and platforms for the Navy and Marine Corps.
The MSC commander is located at Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia. All MSC vessels are assigned to programs that support the three MSC mission areas. Ashore personnel are responsible for administration, crewing, training, equipping, and maintaining government-owned, government-operated ships of the MSC Fleet.
Combat Logistics Force. Manages ships that provide underway replenishment, commercial helicopter services and other direct fleet support to Navy ships worldwide. These ships include fleet replenishment oilers, fleet ordnance and dry cargo ships, and fast combat support ships.
Fleet Support and Special Mission. Provides the Navy with towing, rescue and salvage, submarine support, cable laying and repair services, a command and control platform, floating medical facilities and the Navy’s expeditionary sea base, and fast transport vessels.
Special Mission. Supports specialized scientific and technical missions for DoD sponsors. Missions include ocean surveillance, oceanographic survey, cable laying, missile telemetry collection, submarine support and navigation test support.
Prepositioning. Provides ships loaded with military stores for forward, at-sea staging around the world. Prepositioning ships carry cargo owned by the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.
Expeditionary Fast Transport. Provides high speed, agile lift capability to deliver operationally ready units to small, austere ports and flexibly support a wide range of missions including maneuver and sustainment, humanitarian assistance and special operations support.
Service Support. Provides towing, rescue and salvage, submarine support and afloat medical facilities.
Combatant Command Support. MSC provides marine transportation to satisfy DoD sealift requirements. For dry cargo validated by USTRANSCOM and assigned to MSC, Sealift provides breakbulk, container and roll-on/rolloff (RORO), as well as other specialty ships (heavy lift/FLOFLO) from both government and commercial sources.
Sealift. MSC provides, efficient and cost-effective ocean transportation for the DOD and other federal agencies during peacetime and war.
Dry Cargo and Tankers. MSC provides transportation of refined petroleum products between commercial refineries and DOD storage and distribution facilities worldwide for Defense Logistics Agency-Energy, which procures and manages fuel for all of DOD.
Area Command Organization. MSC is represented by five geographic area commands, which exercise tactical control of all assigned USTRANSCOM forces and MSC forces not otherwise assigned to the numbered fleet commanders. The area command staffs are also responsible for execution of strategic sealift missions. Most area command commodores are dual-hatted, each one having a formal relationship with its geographically collocated numbered fleet commander. Under fleet command authority the commander may exercise tactical control of MSC ships assigned to the fleet commander, usually as a task force commander.
In the INDOPACOM AOR there are two major MSC Area Commands: MSC Pacific located in San Diego and dual hatted as CTF 33 under Commander Third Fleet; and, MSC Far East, located in Singapore.
The area commands provide ship support for MSC vessels. They are responsible to for local coordination, engineering, contracting and IT support to government-owned ships. They also provide IT support to other MSC ships for government-owned systems and in-theater administrative support.
MSC Offices are located in ports where MSC conducts regular, sustained operations, MSC offices provide direct support to MSC ships and act as MSC’s liaison with local commands. Responsibilities include coordination of logistics, husbanding services and port loading. Assistance to ships may also include coordinating voyage repairs, delivery of mail, bunkering, travel arrangements and administrative support.
MSC HQ Detachment and Liaison Office: MSC headquarters has a detachment to USTRANSCOM at Scott AFB, Illinois, and a Pacific Fleet LNO in Hawaii. These offices represent MSC in all mission areas and operations in which their host command conducts coordination activities. They direct staff inquiries to appropriate points of contact and act as subject matter experts for MSC-related questions. They alert MSC staff to developing requirements, tasks and initiatives.
b) MSC’s sealift ships (AK, and AKR) and/or MSC charter shipping is used to move large quantities of munition from major NMC storage sites to advanced locations. MSC Prepositions ships hold pre-positioned US Army, Air Force and Marine ammunition stocks. MSC CLF ships (T-AKEs and T-AOEs) deliver ordnance to US Navy combatant ships. The two MSC Submarine Tenders can be used to load vertical launch weapons and torpedoes into US submarines.
- 7 Discuss the role of the NAVSEA Ordnance Safety and Security Activity (NOSSA) in the management of ordnance operations. www.nossa.navsea.navy.mil
a. What inspections are they responsible for?
b. How are they organized specific to the PACFLT AOR?
The Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity (NOSSA) is a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Located 25 miles south of Washington, D.C. in Indian Head, Maryland, NOSSA manages all aspects of the Department of the Navy Explosives Safety Program.
NOSSA is the first call if there is an ordnance transportation accident.
NOSSA has two Explosives Safety Support Offices located in San Diego, CA and Norfolk, VA that provide explosives safety technical support assessments and training services to all Navy and Marine Corps commands world-wide.
As the NAVSEA Technical Authority for Explosives Safety, NOSSA is responsible for providing technical policies, procedures and design criteria associated with weapons systems safety, including software safety across the warfare disciplines. NOSSA manages all programmatic policy requirements for the five major DON Explosives Safety Program component programs; Ordnance Safety and Security, Weapons and Combat System Safety, Ordnance Environmental Support Office, Insensitive Munitions Office, and Weapons and Ordnance Quality Evaluation.
a) Arms, Ammunition, and Explosives (AA&E) Physical Security, AA&E Transportation, Facilities Planning and Certification, Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance, Qualification & Certification Program, Shipboard Compliance & Shipboard Explosive Safety Inspection (SESI), Shore Station Compliance & Explosive Safety Inspection (ESI) and Weapon Systems Safety
Ordnance storage and transportation – Provides technical guidance, and oversight/inspections of ordnance storage and transportation systems.
Electromagnet Weapons Safety. Provides technical guidance, policy recommendations, and reviews on electromagnetic effects to ordnance, insensitive munitions, and hazard classifications to enable the safe transport and storage of ammunition, explosives, and related components.
Ordnance Environmental Compliance. Serves as the Navy’s primary technical authority for ordnance environmental issues.
Shipboard Ordnance Safety. Identifies safety-critical areas of integration and recommend affordable design measures that minimize the residual risk ultimately presented to the operational forces and serves as the single point of contact for coordinating weapons integration issues/efforts to reduce explosive mishap risk associated with ordnance handling, stowage, and transportation in the Fleet.
b) The Naval Ordnance Safety & Security Activity (NOSSA) command is located at the Naval Support Activity, South Potomac, Indian Head, Maryland.
The Explosives Safety Support Office, Pacific (ESSOPAC) is located at the Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, California.
Ordnance Environmental Support Office (OESO) is also located in Indian Head, Maryland.
