CRANE─ Army and Navy officials gathered at Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA) in Indiana on May 19 to celebrate the opening of a new explosive railcar holding yard. This state-of-the-art facility significantly enhances CAAA’s capacity to support its retrograde mission and conduct high-volume munitions outloads simultaneously.
The new holding yard provides a net explosive weight capacity of one million pounds and adds approximately 11,000 linear feet of track. This expansion is crucial for retrograde operations, which involve returning excess and unserviceable munitions to appropriate storage or depot facilities for disposition. Given the need for sorting and inventory upon return, ample space and resources are vital.
“The addition of the new rail holding yard at Crane allows for additional flexibility in railroad operations by being able to execute multiple retrograde missions, plan and execute multiple shipping missions, or plan and execute both types of missions simultaneously,” said Robert England, CAAA railroad operations supervisor. He added that the increased net explosive weight holding area also enables safe and efficient work without excessive handling of explosive-loaded railcars.
CAAA assumed responsibility for rail operations from Naval Facilities Engineering Crane in 2017. Soon after, the organization identified system weaknesses, particularly inadequate rail holding space during periods of high demand. To mitigate this, CAAA had been moving munitions across various holding facilities throughout the installation, leading to increased labor, inefficiencies, and heightened risk.
Col. Franyate Taylor, CAAA’s commander, emphasized the importance of this initiative. “This initiative allowed us to prioritize our critical capabilities, we are protecting employees, increasing effectiveness, and saving taxpayer dollars. Every detail matters, readiness is our mission, lethality is our promise, and warfighting is our purpose,” Taylor stated. He further stressed the Army’s role as a leading provider of ammunition supply support for large-scale combat operations, asserting that “munitions readiness is non-negotiable. The warfighter must have the right munitions, in the right places, at the right time.”
CAAA operates as part of the Joint Munitions Command (JMC), tasked with safely receiving, inspecting, storing, shipping, renovating, demilitarizing, and manufacturing conventional ammunition, missiles, and related components to support all Department of Defense and international partners. Established in October 1977, CAAA is located on Naval Support Activity Crane.
Brig. Gen. Daniel Duncan, JMC’s commander, highlighted the critical role of CAAA’s rail operations. “CAAA’s rail operations are essential to readiness; they allow for the effective storage and transportation of munitions more efficiently, ensuring the nation’s warfighter has access to the ammunition they need to maintain dominance over adversaries,” Duncan said.
This investment is a component of Army Material Command’s 15-year, $18.1 billion Organic Industrial Base modernization plan. JMC is actively upgrading its facilities and processes to ensure America’s industrial capabilities can meet current demands, respond to surge requirements, and adapt to future operational needs, thereby addressing supply chain risks, reducing single points of failure, and lessening reliance on foreign sources.
Information by Dori Whipple, Joint Munitions Command.
