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18th MUNS operates more than munitions

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tara A. Williamson
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Kadena's 18th Munitions Squadron operates the Air Force's largest conventional munitions storage area, a total of 5,900 acres, to support all U.S. military and Japan Ground and Air Self-Defense Force activities.

The squadron provides the wing and associate units with munitions for more than 12,000 annual sorties and maintains a war reserve material stockpile for U.S. forces throughout the Pacific theater valued at $475 million, using 475 facilities and about 200 vehicles.

These facilities, or shops, serve specific purposes as part of the 18th MUNS' overall mission.

One of these parts is the 18th MUNS Conventional Maintenance shop, which packages all countermeasures used to evade missiles, as well as rescue items such as sea dye and Mark 25s, which are used for rescue flares, and smoke grenades.

"Our main goal is getting the aircraft equipped with the right munitions," said Tech. Sgt. Donovan Holdren, 18th MUNS CM acting NCO in charge. "We currently support four squadrons; two fighter squadrons, the 44th and the 67th, as well as the 33rd Rescue Squadron and the 353rd Special Operations Group."

Another example of an 18th MUNS facility is the Munitions Support Equipment Maintenance shop, which maintains and inspects all the munitions-handling trailers and loaders.

"We have about 120 trailers and loaders the flight uses for transport," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Hoyles, 18th MUNS MSEM assistant shop chief. "We do anywhere from five to 20 inspections per week, and that involves [anything] from just doing a visual of the trailer or washing it, to actually tearing it completely down, rebuilding breaks and changing seals."

The squadron also has the Tactical Ammunition Rapid Response Package shop. This shop is responsible for keeping munitions loaded on aircraft pallets, ready to be deployed at any time.

Overseeing the entire 18th MUNS operations is Munitions Control, which has the task of planning, scheduling, directing and coordinating munitions compliance for the squadron and the flightline.

"We're the liaison for the flightline whenever they call for munitions," said Tech. Sgt. Joseph Atherton, 18th MUNS Munitions Control assistant NCO in charge. "They don't call direct shops, they go through us. We'll contact the shops and pass on their needs and their requirements, [like] what they need for their daily flying."

Munitions Control keeps databases on requirements during exercises and missions to make sure times are met. It also becomes the unit command center during local operational readiness exercises.

In addition to the mission of the 18th MUNS, the squadron also shares their area with other Air Force units and sister services, and maintains the keys to the facilities used by the sister services.

"They have to come to us when they sign out their keys," Atherton said. "Also, they have to call in all their explosive operations to us because we monitor everything going on in the [munitions area]. Everything that goes on here on a daily basis, we know about."

Making up over half the base and providing space for others to work, as well as offering munitions support to U.S. and Japanese forces in the region, the 18th MUNS is vital to the mission of Kadena.