Crane Army Ammunition Activity Implements GPS Pilot Program

In December 2013, the Greene County (Indiana) Daily World ran an article about a GPS pilot program being implemented in their neighboring region, Martin County.

CC Image courtesy of The U.S. Army on Flickr

The Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA) is one of the US Army’s largest ammunition depots. Located on Naval Support Activity (NSA) Crane, Indiana, the facility serves a variety of functions pertaining to ammunition, including receiving, producing, demilitarizing, and storing ammo. The facility also works with ordnance (i.e., military weapons)—improving and designing and developing ordnance processes and components. CAAA employs over 14,000 people, both civilian and military.

The CAAA Vision Statement reads,

We are and will remain the best producer and supplier of conventional munitions to the fighting ground, sea and air forces. Our commitment to quality will make our customers demand our services above all others. We are committed to continuous measurable process improvement throughout the organization.

They have also crafted a Mission Statement, which reads,

To receive, store, ship, produce, renovate and demilitarize conventional ammunition, missiles and related components to meet contingency requirements in support of the warfighter.

The CAAA base is heavily wooded and covers approximately 100 square miles, making visual location of crews and equipment impossible from headquarters. Therefore, in 2013 the CAAA initiated a GPS pilot program, installing GPS devices in twenty vehicles, enabling the Crane Army Operations Center to track each one of them.

Brief History of Crane Army Ammunition Activity

Although CAAA was initially established in 1977, the history of the site goes back to 1941, when the Crane Naval Ammunition Depot was established. In 1977, CAAA became a “tenant” on the Crane Naval Ammunition Depot (which by then had been renamed Naval Support Activity Crane). Command and control of the center transferred completely to CAAA in 1999.

CAAA’s facilities are quite impressive and include:

• A machine shop that measures over 70,000 square feet


• Over 200 buildings that are dedicated to production


• Nearly 2000 facilities for ammunition storage


• A demolition range and ammunition burning grounds that measure a combined total of approximately 120 acres

Clearly, GPS-enabled vehicles would be a huge benefit to such a large organization, especially considering the vastness of the facility as well as the potentially dangerous nature of the work done there.

CAAA’s GPS Pilot Program

In 2013 CAAA leadership implemented a GPS pilot program, allowing the command center to keep track of all crews and their equipment at all times, day or night. The operations coordinator pointed out that before the implementation of GPS devices, the CAAA had had difficulty locating crews sometimes during unusual weather conditions, such as severe winter weather and tornados. When working over such a large area and with such potentially dangerous materials, being able to locate employees and machines during possible emergencies quickly is of paramount concern—when even seconds can make a huge difference in protecting people’s health and lives.

Because of the expanse of the CAAA and its difficult terrain, CAAA leaders felt a pilot program was necessary—they wanted to be sure before implementing the program that it would work correctly, that there were no “dead spots” on the facility, and that the GPS devices were fully functional. They knew that setting up appropriate infrastructure initially was also of critical importance. Failure on any of these points could negate the usefulness of the program.

The Future of CAAA’s GPS Program

Of course, there are added benefits beyond merely knowing the location of vehicles and crews. Data provided by the GPS devices can be collected and analyzed to gain efficiencies and to help plan for future projects and to design best practices for the military at CAAA and in similar facilities. Analysts can capture and utilize data regarding time each job takes, how much “down time” crews have and why, and require a greater level of accountability from employees. Future work standards can be established as an outgrowth of the data as well.

In December of 2013 the Crane Army Site Manager pointed out that “extraordinary measures” are required to maximize efficiency as the Army looks to the future. GPS devices and technology can help assure that such efficiencies are gained. Army leadership is also hopeful that expenses can be lowered as a result of the technology as well—a very important factor, considering recent cuts to the military’s budget.

Army leaders are hopeful that, if the system is implemented at CAAA, its successes can then be replicated at other government ammo depots across the country. Does the system truly provide safety? Is it worth the expense? Such questions have to be answered fully before the CAAA’s GPS pilot program moves from “pilot” status to full, permanent implementation. CAAA leaders hope that will occur sometime in 2014.

Crane Army Ammunition Activity Implements GPS Pilot Program