Have you, as a supporting Unit Ammo Tech, been out on a range and had those who were training bring back ammunition, stating that some or all of the ammo did not fire or function the way it was supposed to? Have you been issuing out ammo or had ammo brought back to you on a range that was dented, leaking orange powder or otherwise defective? Have you wondered what to do with the ammunition assets in these scenarios? How about as a supporting Ammo Tech? Have you been in the process of completing a receipt (turn-in) and the supported unit technician tells you how some of the ammunition being turned in didn’t function correctly (there were duds, they were rusted/dented, etc.), and wondered what the correct procedures were to handle these types of situations? The correct answer to each one of these scenarios is to have the supported unit technician complete a Malfunction or Defect Report as required per Marine Corps Order (MCO) 8025.1E.
First, let’s review the definitions of a malfunction and a defect. Per MCO 8025.1E,
A MALFUNCTION occurs when an ammunition item fails to function in accordance with the design, intent and expected performance when fired, launched or otherwise employed as specified. Malfunctions include the abnormal or premature functioning of an item as a result of normal handling, maintenance, storage, transportation or tactical employment.
A DEFECT is an imperfection that may prevent an item from functioning as intended or result in a malfunction. Defects include, but are not limited to, cracked cartridge case, loose primer, missing safety pin, deteriorated or leaking propellant bags or containers, presence of excessive rust/corrosion, and obvious external damage, etc.
Responsibilities of the Supported Unit
When a supported unit experiences an ammo malfunction/defect, the following information needs to be provided, at a minimum:
Identification of the unit, with a Point of Contact (POC) with first-hand knowledge of the incident
•Complete identification of ammunition, Department of Defense Identification Code, National Stock Number, Ammunition Lot Number (ALN) and Serial Number, as well as the quantity of how many rounds were fired and how many rounds failed
• Identification/description of weapon(s), including condition before and after the incident, settings, rate-of-fire, target, etc.
•Description of incident, including if there were any injuries, fatalities or damage
•Local (prevailing) conditions, date and time of incident, weather, terrain, etc.
•Ammo storage conditions prior to firing
• Whether the ALN was locally sus-pended as a result of the incident (by the Range Safety Officer or Ammunition Supply Point) and any other pertinent information Additional reporting requirements can be found in MCO 8025.1E.
If any remaining rounds from the ALN that failed to function as intended, or any residue from the failed rounds (misfires, cartridge cases, fragments, etc.) are deemed safe for transport by Explosive Ordnance Disposal, the supported unit is to return them to the supporting activity and notify the activity of the malfunction/defect. Damaged weapons will be returned to the unit armory with notification that a malfunction occurred, and the weapon is to remain “as is” until further notice. All required information is gathered, written up and submitted in a Naval Message and released via Automated Message Handling System. The message is routed to MARCORSYSCOM, PM Ammo and Marine Corps Programs Division (MCPD) Fallbrook, at a minimum, and additional addresses are listed in MCO 8025.1E.
In the event of a critical incident with serious injuries, fatalities or damage, PM Ammo will be notified immediately by phone and with a follow-up Naval Message report. The firing position is to be cordoned off, taken out of operation and protected/maintained until investigators arrive.For more detailed information on supported unit responsibilities regarding malfunction/defect reporting, refer to MCO 8025.1E.
Responsibilities of the Supporting Unit The supporting activity will determine whether to locally suspend the ALN involved, based on the severity of the incident. If suspended, the supporting activity is to notify (via telephone, email, etc.) PM Ammo of their action(s), including the on-hand balance of the ALN involved. If the supported activity returns remaining rounds/residue, the supporting activity will tag, segregate and store the turned-in items “pending investigation” until receipt of a notice to release or dispose of the ammunition from PM Ammo.
Why it Matters
One might think that one leaking B519 round or one dented A576 round is no big deal; or a couple of M766s that don’t work as well as MN08s aren’t that big of a deal—just tell the supporting activity techs and it’ll get taken care of. However, these seemingly “small” instances can actually make a big difference when proper procedures are followed.
Malfunction Reports are assessed/reviewed to determine if the ALN involved was at fault: if there was any possibility that the ammunition was defective and if the defect resulted in the malfunction. If the ammunition is found to be at fault/defective, a secondary assessment isconducted to see if there is a cost-effective fix for the defect. This assessment is exclusively driven by the safety and reliability of the ammunition. MCPD Fallbrook provides PM Ammo with technical assessments of each reported malfunction. Assessments are based on information provided in Malfunction Reports, additional information obtained from POCs, witnesses and a review of additional elements, such as:
•ALN production data (specifications, waivers, deviations, Lot Acceptance Test data, etc.)
•ALN and common component history (previous malfunctions, Notice of Ammunition Reclassifications [NARs], Ammunition Information Notices [AINs], investigations, inspections, etc.) including the history of “sister”ALNs and history data compiled by other services.
Without Malfunction and Defect Reports, ammunition cannot properly be reclassified. NARs/AINs are generated in part from supported activities’ submission of Malfunction/Defect Reports. So, next time you see that leaking B519 round or rusted ammo, or someone complains of ammo not firing like it’s supposed to, refer to MCO 8025.1E and make sure the Malfunction/Defect Report is submitted to ensure the ammo is properly reclassified and a malfunction is prevented
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