Munitions Icemen arm up

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zachary Perras
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Airmen throughout the 354th Maintenance Squadron worked 24-hour operations April 28 through 30 to receive a shipment of munitions to be used in support of upcoming exercises.

Twice a year, Eielson receives a delivery of all armaments to sustain any training for the following six months. The shipment, about 65 intermodal containers filled with more than 1.3 million tons of munitions including bombs, missiles and components, will provide support through October.

Without these shipments, foreign and domestic units participating in aerial combat training at Eielson would be unable to acquire an understanding of their weapons systems, said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Amen, 354th MXS assistant NCO in charge of munitions operations.

"If we don't get our [shipment] in, we can't do exercises," Amen said. "[Pilots] would just be flying without any key training components, and they can't train if they don't have the munitions."

Once a requisition is made for munitions, the trip begins from the lower 48 to Valdez, Alaska, and finally to Eielson's back gate. Master Sgt. Martin Shrederis, 354th MXS NCO in charge of munitions storage, said this kind of shipment is relatively unique to Eielson in that stateside bases do not typically transport such a large amount at one time.

While the shipment was an average size compared to previous years, the logistics of planning the operation were impressive considering the amount of munitions, as well as taking safety procedures into consideration, said Senior Airman Sean Lipka, 354th MXS ammo storage crew member and crew chief for the shipment.

"It could take up to two days of work to transport and organize everything ," Lipka said. "We have to figure out what has to be separated from what and then segregate everything properly."

With the shipment successfully received and in place, the munitions will be stored until training begins, at which point components will be built up as they are required and needed for each exercise.

Keeping the three RED FLAG-Alaska exercises planned for this year in sight, the first of which will be the largest of the year, munitions Airmen provide the necessary means for Eielson to fulfill its mission of preparing forces for combat, keeping all members of the Iceman Team on task and mission-ready.