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Last updated on Thursday, May 10, 2018
(CRANE) - Crane Army Ammunition Activity bolstered international relations by hosting a Canadian delegation and showcasing the Activity’s use of a commercial ammunition management platform April 25-26.
Hayley Smith reports, United States representatives presented the current American usage of the ammunition management configuration, Standard Application and Program, at a conference in Germany. After learning about the U.S.'s success with SAP, the Canadian delegates requested a site visit to observe in person how American techniques work before implementing SAP in their own military.
A Crane Army Ammunition Activity supervisor demonstrates countermeasure capabilities to a Canadian delegation April 24-25. The United States continuously collaborates with fellow NATO members Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Canada as well as Australia, a close ally, to implement a common method of ammunition management to streamline information sharing during joint operations. (Photo Credit: Hayley Smith)
Bob Kosek, one of the U.S. representatives at the conference and the principal architect of ammunition configuration for Joint Munitions Command, selected Crane Army Ammunition Activity, a leader in ammunition and logistics management, as the host site. JMC is Crane Army's higher headquarters.
"JMC selected Crane Army for this partnership due to the outstanding support it provides for ammunition management and its diverse mission to support the Warfighter," Kosek said.
At Crane, subject matter experts briefed shipping, receiving, internal movements, safety, serviceability and production ammunition processes. CAAA personnel also showed how the ammunition management system works with Crane's production facilities and demonstrated Crane's large-scale logistic procedures from the Crane Army ammunition operations center.
"Canada's ongoing liaison with the U.S. Department of Defense, particularly this visit to Crane Army, is crucial to further digitizing our supply chain," Ron Cormier, director of Material Systems Plans and Requirements in the Canada Department of National Defence, said. "Canada is planning an SAP system modernization to improve materiel management.
Margo Tucker, a logistics management specialist at Crane, highlighted the immediate benefits of the visit and what it means for long-term international relations.
"Demonstrating Crane Army's ammunition management strategies in-person greatly helped our Canadian partners learn best practices for implementing the SAP platform as their country makes the transition," Tucker said. "Providing assistance to our Canadian allies strengthens our relationship and utilizing a common platform will reduce the cost of logistics management for both countries."
The U.S. continuously collaborates with fellow NATO members Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Canada as well as Australia, a close ally, to implement a common method of ammunition management to streamline information sharing during joint operations.
"Working with our allies on ammunition management strategies allows the U.S. and other nations to better communicate information and data when needed," Kosek said. "Cooperating with other nations in these situations strengthens alliances and increases readiness."
The benefits of the increased collaboration from this visit will be on display at another conference in Germany in June as the six nations evaluate prototype transactions for SAP's new ammunition management capability set to deploy in 2019.
Crane Army Ammunition Activity produces and provides conventional munitions requirements in support of U.S. Army and Joint Force readiness. It is one of 14 installations of the Joint Munitions Command and one of 23 organic industrial bases under 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.
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