TOOELE ARMY DEPOT, Utah – Beneath the snow-capped Stansbury mountains four U.S. Army civilians carefully walk through barren, rock strewn soil, small wisps of dust swirling around their feet. They stop near a black stone crater, the dust melting into the cold desert breeze, and gingerly place a fifteen pound shape charge into the hole. With precise meticulousness they prepare a blasting cap with electrical wiring as one of the group cautiously observes the weather conditions. Moments later all of them stand behind bulletproof glass and reinforced concrete inside an observation building one hundred meters away.
After a final equipment check the team leader counts down. “Three…two…one…” and presses a button. The shape charge instantly disappears in a flash of flame and smoke and in the blink of an eye chunks of rock and dirt are heaved into the air with smoke billowing upwards. The blast wave permeates the surrounding earth while simultaneously reverberating throughout the building. Minute pieces of stone and earth rained down on the surrounding area, eerily reminiscent of a brief summer rain shower. The group is safely protected inside the building but nicks and cuts in the safety glass testify of the unpredictable violence and capability of munitions created for use by the U.S. Army. After another safety check with range control and the four Army civilians began preparing to repeat the same task.
At the Tooele Army Depot (TEAD), the base’s Surveillance team is hard at work, ensuring the right conditions are set for small scale detonations of previously stored munitions. At first thought the idea of ‘surveillance’ conjures the image of traditional intelligence work, gathering information and indicators to deduce the intentions and courses of action on a potential enemy. But in the munitions realm of the U.S. Military surveillance is safety, safeguarding quality and capability of munitions, confirming servicemen and women have the ordnance necessary to complete mission. Surveillance is also maintaining the proper environment, and security of weapons storage, preserving quality and capability of ordnance for future use.
“We are the commander’s eyes and ears on the depot, ensuring proper crating or packaging is to standard operations procedures,” said Mike Belmares, Surveillance Chief at TEAD, and Quality Assurance Specialist. “We monitor climate and atmosphere for storage to safeguard and protect the stability of munitions. The purpose of every check and procedure is not only to follow regulations and safety standards but to protect human health and the environment, including proper handling and the destruction of munitions and explosives.”
Belmares further explained the TEAD Surveillance team routinely observes and inspects the creation and packaging of explosive materials, by the depot’s employees, to ensure all safety protocols are strictly enforced; they ensure the material in the stockpile meets all serviceability and explosives safety criteria, identifying items for timely maintenance, demilitarization plus priority of issue and restricted use. This detailed focus on safety and following all established regulations not only maintains the safety of TEAD’s munitions handlers, the ammunition stocks, and those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who will utilize the munitions in the future.
“TEAD is committed to testing these munitions” said Belmares, “and destroying them if necessary, in a manner which not only minimizes risk to the workers, but to the surrounding community and the natural environment.”
The TEAD Surveillance team tests every kind of munition available to the U.S. Military from bullets to grenades, to tank rounds and large explosives. At the onsite surveillance testing range at TEAD, the surveillance team examines the viability of munitions in extreme cold, up to negative sixty-five degrees below zero, or severe heat, such has one hundred and twenty degree Fahrenheit. This severe, and challenging environment testing certifies the munitions created for the United States Military personnel will work as they were intended on the battlefield.
About TOOELE ARMY DEPOT: The Tooele Army Depot was established in 1942 as the Tooele Ordnance Depot, and for 79 years it has committed itself to readiness and rapid munitions response for America’s allies and warfighters. Tooele Army Depot provides storage, maintenance and logistics capability under the Army’s Joint Munitions Command (JMC). The Depot specializes in providing services in ammunition equipment prototype design, development, manufacturing and fielding. The depot also develops innovative Ammunition Peculiar Equipment (APE) used for demilitarization, as well as completing renovation, modification, modernization and maintenance of conventional-type munitions.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2022 11:57 |
| Story ID: | 417778 |
| Location: | TOOELE ARMY DEPOT, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 231 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Safety with the Army Munitions Surveillance program at Tooele Army Depot, by Kelly Haux, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
