HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Army Brig. Gen. Ronnie Anderson, Jr., the Joint Munitions Command’s commander, took to the podium on the first day of the 2025 session of the Association of the United States Army’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition to share his vision on the future of America’s ammunition industrial base.
On March 25, at the Von Braun Center, Anderson addressed fellow military personnel and industry leaders. In his speech, he provided a brief historical overview of America's ammunition industrial base, tracing its origins back to the establishment of the Continental Army in 1775.
“Together, we honor the legacy of our predecessors and embrace the challenge of adapting to changing warfare and future demands,” Anderson said. “Our commitment to innovation will ensure we protect and serve the nation, in preparation for the future.”
JMC provides precise and predictive conventional munitions sustainment and life cycle management to an expeditionary global force from 19 arsenals, depots and ammo plants across the spectrum of conflict in support of the Joint Force, and the command is nested with the Department of Defense, Department of the Army and Army Materiel Command priorities.
“We synchronize, integrate and operationalize the capabilities of our Organic Industrial Base, which sets the Army on a sustainable strategic path,” Anderson said. “Our focus is continuous transformation to modernize munitions production, enhance operational efficiency and ensure ammunition readiness for the future fight, empowering warfighters with the decisive edge to prevail in any mission.”
Most of JMC’s subordinate sites were built during World War II, and current infrastructure and production process modernization efforts help ensure JMC meets the needs of warfighters.
“We have numerous projects underway at our locations as part of the Army’s $18 billion Organic Industrial Base Modernization Plan,” Anderson said. “The 15-year effort addresses governance, how workload is defined, updating and upgrading facilities, an investment in tooling, recruiting and retaining the workforce, and synchronizing all available funding.
“The framework encompasses requirements for cyber security and protection, utilities, methods of production and manufacturing, energy improvements, environmental compliance and life, health and safety of our workforce,” Anderson added.
JMC is implementing a strategy to invest in its extensive network of over 10,700 bunkers and storage magazines, which have an average age of 80 years. This initiative aims to prolong their lifespan, ensuring sustained operational readiness and minimizing the necessity for expensive replacements. These facilities are critical for storing munitions used across the entire DOD.
“Our goal is to conduct cost-effective recapitalization by investing $20 million annually over 35 years to extend bunker lifespan by 80 to 90 years,” Anderson said. “We are also upgrading key storage facilities to handle larger, advanced munitions crucial for future readiness.”
As part of the life cycle of munitions, JMC completes the mission of demilitarization at nine sites across its OIB. Demilitarization plays a crucial role in supporting lethality, readiness, and warfighting.
“On our current trajectory, there is a storage capacity crisis looming,” Anderson said. “Without significantly increasing our demil rate, we risk impacting readiness and our ability to receive and store new munitions.
“We must invest in research and development to scale closed demil solutions,” Anderson added. “We need to collaborate with industry leaders to develop and implement cutting-edge demil technologies, and environmentally responsible disposal methods. As we modernize our ammunition stockpiles with advanced munitions, we must prioritize demil to create space and avoid storage capacity constraints that undermine readiness.”
In closing, Anderson encouraged industry leaders to explore the diverse array of strategic partnership opportunities available with JMC. To learn more about these opportunities, visit JMC's website.
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