ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- The Airmen from the 36th Munitions Squadron worked around the clock to offload 1.5 million pounds of munitions during an annual in-shipment starting Aug. 21 through Sept. 30, 2017.

This shipment will replace expired munitions and support an overall growth of more than 10% of total munitions on hand on Guam. The munitions will increase the overall availability of day-to-day training assets and War Reserve Material stocks to support warfighting capabilities.

“Munitions stocks expire or are expended during the year so we continually receive new assets to supplement the lost munitions,” said Maj. Erik Schmid, 36th Munitions Squadron commander. “The inbound munitions ensure required assets are available in theater to support national objectives.”

On a "normal" year, Andersen receives approximately 110 20-ft containers of munitions annually to replace expired and expended assets. More than 90 dedicated Airmen worked 24/7 for the duration of the offload and restore, utilizing 34 trucks and trailers to move containers from Naval Base Guam port to Andersen.

“This shipment gave some of our newer Airmen the opportunity to hone their skills by allowing them to train on pieces of equipment that are not commonly used during day-to-day operations,” said Master Sgt. Travis Elswick, 36th MUNS stockpile surveillance section chief. “Additionally, this also gave our NCO's a small taste of what a multi-phase operation requires of them.”

A total of 816,393 munitions assets valued at over $95 million dollars were transported, inventoried and then stored by the Airmen as a part of this shipment.

“The Airmen were innovative and identified several process improvements that the squadron will incorporate into future years operations to streamline our efficiency,” Schmid said. “Despite running 24/7 operations for more than four weeks, their attitudes remained focused on the mission and positive overall.”

The 36th Medical Group provided a critical assist as ammo troops required additional medical clearances. Their work ensured the 36th MUNS has a qualified pool of drivers to safely haul munitions from the port to Andersen.

“The 36th Wing's mission is ‘prepared to prevail’,” Schmid said. “Increasing our munitions stock provides additional warfighter capability in the event we are called on to support kinetic operations.”