MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont.
Malmstrom Air Force Base operates, maintains and defends a critical component of America’s strategic forces: Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. In keeping our nation’s critical assets secure, security forces members, along with maintainers and operators, need to be certain their equipment will function as designed.
These Airmen receive their ammunition and explosives from the 341st Munitions Squadron material flight, more commonly referred to as Ammo.
“We make sure all the base defense agencies and national defense entities are properly equipped with the explosive assets they require,” said Staff Sgt. David Roman, 341st MUNS munitions inspector. “We pull the assets up, inspect them and make sure they’re going to work when they need to.”
The material flight is responsible for ordering, maintaining, inspecting and issuing Malmstrom’s $6.3 million munitions inventory.
“Part of my job as a munitions inspector is to go through and periodically inspect these assets to make sure they’re going to work the way they need to work, when they need to work,” said Roman.
For all of the conventional munitions that need to be inspected and issued from the weapons storage area, there are currently only 11 ammo Airmen on the base.
Working together, Malmstrom’s Ammo Airmen ensure every unit has the critical equipment they need to keep the base and its critical mission, safe and secure.
Even though few in number, they work hard to ensure their critical mission never falters. They also make it a point to make sure they’re looking out for each other.
“In general about Ammo, everyone is always hanging out and doing stuff together,” said Staff Sgt. Blake Hancock, 341st MUNS munitions stockpile production supervisor. “No one’s ever left alone, or sitting alone doing nothing. Everyone’s always looking out for each other. I think that’s probably the best thing about Ammo.”