This has happened to most Soldiers: They arrive at the range and the ammo detail has loaded all the ammo into the magazines. They then zero their weapon and proceed to the qualification range. At the end of the day, the ammo shed has piles of magazines filled with ammo. Then the question is asked,
what do we do with all this ammo? So, all that unpacked ammo gets taken up to the firing line, and everyone with a weapon gets to be Rambo and expend the rounds.
Sounds awesome, right?
No!
Not just no, but NO! Like drill-sergeant-in-your-face NO.
Paragraph 2-40.d of AR 710-2 (Mar 08) says, “Ammunition will be expended for intended purposes only. Ammunition will never be abandoned, destroyed,
fired indiscriminately, or otherwise disposed of in order to avoid any inconveniences of returning the item(s) to an SSA (supply support activity; your installation ASP).”
The best advice on avoiding waste is in Para 2-40.e of AR 710-2 (Mar 08). It tells you to only take the ammo from its containers as needed. Removing ammo from its container and not using it right away can make the ammo unserviceable. Make sure you don’t make serviceable ammo unserviceable while it’s being handled. For example, losing the lot number identification means the ammunition must be considered unserviceable by the ammunition support activity (ASA).
Also, it’s important to calculate and forecast ammo requirements correctly. Each Soldier is allotted a set amount of ammo every year to meet the marksmanship proficiency requirement.
Bottom line is, quit wasting ammunition!
Don’t open the wirebound boxes or break seals on the ammo cans until the ammunition is needed. Maintain ammunition lot identification and integrity. Modifications to the ammunition, like removing tracer rounds, make the ammo technically unserviceable. Turn in all unused ammunition. This applies to all types of ammunition.
Here’s a list of the publications needed to manage ammo:
- AR 710-2, Supply Policy Below The National Level
- AR 5-13, Total Army Munitions Requirements and Prioritization Policy
- DA Pam 700-16, The Army Ammunition Management System
- DA Pam 350-38, Standards in Weapons Training