ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Robins Air Force Base is home to 54 mission partners, most who share a common goal of providing depot-level maintenance to a variety of Air Force aircraft.
Aircraft going through the sustainment process have egress items that need to be removed, stored, and carefully maintained. That job belongs to the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron Munitions Flight.
“There are hundreds of different types of egress items ranging from ejection seat catapults to gas lines and transfer assemblies,” said Master Sgt. Joshua Pectol, 78th LRS Munitions Flight chief.”
The flight might be small, but it has a big impact.
“We supply munitions for 32 different customers with an annual allocation of more than one million assets, valued at $2.9 million,” said Pectol. “We support munitions for security forces armory, Air Force Office of Special Investigation, explosive ordinance disposal, combat arms training and maintenance, Air Force Special Operations Command as well as egress and life support items for all F-15 aircraft depot maintenance, Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft and C-5 aircraft.”
Munitions Control, Stockpile Management, Munitions Operations and Munitions Inspection sections make up the Munitions Flight, said Pectol.
“The Munitions Control section tracks all operations in the MSA; they are known as the nerve center of the bomb dump,” said Pectol. “Stockpile Management is responsible for receiving, storing, shipping, and delivering munitions within the bomb dump. They also maintain and coordinate repairs on the storage facilities, or igloos, within the bomb dump.”
Munitions Operations is in charge of munitions accountability.
“They oversee all stockpile and custody munitions, order all assets, and conduct inventories,” said Pectol. “They also manage all custody accounts, coordinate expenditures, and issue munitions to the account custodians.”
And last, there is a section of workers who inspect the munitions to ensure they work.
“Munitions Inspection is certified to issue, package, ship, and inspect all of our munitions,” said Pectol. “They track serviceability and request dispositions once a munition is no longer serviceable.”
The flight manages accounts not only at Robins Air Force Base, but also works accounts from other Georgia installations.
“There are accounts from units with the 78th Air Base Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, the 5th Combat Communications Group and Fort Benning,” said Pectol.
“The team of active duty military and civilian Airmen get the work done,” he continued. “The team of ammo troops that I work with here at Robins are always willing to get the job done when we need it. To me, ammo is one of the most satisfying jobs there could be in the Air Force.”