Ingenuity Summer 2019

Pond Ingenuity Summer 2019 7 Metals, unlike old soldiers, don’t fade. So, what happens to the tonnage of Department of Defense (DoD) demilitarized small arms produced over time? The answer to this question, “Where do old soldiers’ old guns go to die?” is “Captain Crunch”, a massive metal shredder and center piece to the process of dealing with demilitarized small arms. Located at Anniston Army Depot, Alabama, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) holds the procedures, programs, and resources for weapons demilitarization across all DoD areas of service. The DLA maintains and operates the weapons destruction process which includes Captain Crunch. Demilitarization and disposal are the final steps in the life cycle of a firearm. Assets requiring demilitarization and disposal accumulate at DoD sites that receive, store, ship, maintain, or use conventional firearms. These assets are determined to be either unserviceable, obsolete or exceed the needs of Military Service. The determinations are made by the individual military services that used the weapons. To ensure the DoD’s return on investment, assets are subject to a system of procedures that determine the best course of action: either reutilization, transfer, sale, or demilitarization. In the case of demilitarization, the small arms and light weapons marked for destruction will likely travel through Anniston, the only small arms demilitarization facility in the United States. Captain Crunch is an enormous shredder that uses intertwined blades to chop up weapons into scrap metal. It has the capacity to destroy up to 2,500 weapons per day. Despite its large capacity to convert small arms into scraps, Captain Crunch is fully operational with a minimum of two people. Fully intact weapons are loaded onto a conveyor belt which feeds into the machine where they are reduced to small, jagged pieces of metal. Weapons too large for the Captain are torch cut. Larger weapons are actually easier to destroy than those of lesser size. Small weapons have smaller usable parts and to safeguard against recovery and misuse, additional time may be required to ensure complete destruction. For a firearm to be considered officially destroyed, parts with serial number are required to be completely obliterated. The remaining scrap is sold to civilian buyers for recycling, which generates millions in funds3 each year. The security required to protect the people working in the facility and to safeguard the arms flagged for processing is rigorous. Although the firearms are subject to demilitarization, many are functional and are potentially dangerous should they end up in the wrong hands. New design requirements for facilities used to demilitarize firearms is defined by Army Regulation (AR) 190-11 for Physical Security of Arms, Ammunition and Explosives. Captain Crunch is targeted to occupy a new facility that will comply with AR 190-11. The current facilities are general purpose warehouses that were not constructed for the function and special security needed to accommodate demilitarization activities. Although adapted to facilitate demilitarization operations, the current facilities do not meet the structural requirements and are in violation of AR 190-11. The new building will meet compliance through the inclusion of thickened walls, hardened and secure entry, proper ventilation, and adequate fire protection, along with security monitoring of the facility including the loading and unloading operations. The Pond team initiated a process for determining all the requirements of a new home for Captain Crunch beginning with detailed interviews with the owners, DLA experts, and installation stakeholders, followed by iterations of conceptual design by the architecture-engineering team. The framework encompassing the basic building requirements solidified as concerns were addressed and conceptual ideas and technical input of designers were considered. Pond has determined that, structurally, the building shell will have 12-inch thick cast-in-place walls and a 6-inch thick cast-in-place roof deck, ensuring vault-like protection. Exterior doors and door frames will be hardened, which means filling the door frame cavities with cement. The interior of the building requires adequate ventilation to provide a comfortable working environment and to vent dangerous, hot fumes resulting from the demilitarization process. The building design provides for a high roof deck that will accommodate three stories for storage. Additionally, an increase of water storage and pressure will boost any future firefighting efforts that may be required.  Vincent Bredickas, PE Senior Project Manager Alan George, right, and Jerrod Kirkpatrick of DLA Disposition Services, watch the mangled pieces of M16s as they flow out of Captain Crunch onto the conveyor belt. Any pieces not properly destroyed are returned to the shredder. (Photo Credit: Mr. Jeremy W. Guthrie (AMC). Army.mil) Adam Hughston of DLA Disposition Services loads Captain Crunch, DLA’s small arms demilitarization machine. (Photo Credit: Mr. Jeremy W. Guthrie (AMC). Army.mil)