To train the new Ordnance soldiers, the Ordnance Department established schools at a wide-array of locations, to include universities, civilian factories, armories, arsenals, and field depots. In the Allegheny Arsenal explosion, 78 civilian workers were killed, 71 were women. The Chief of Ordnance regained responsibility for decisions concerning personnel, force structure, doctrine, and training. His ambition, during the war years and afterward, was to simplify and streamline Ordnance materiel management. It is the job of the ordnance officer to make sure that the Military's weapons and ammunition supplies are safe and secure. Despite the massive expansion of the army, the official staffing of the Ordnance Department remained small. (FM 4-30, Ordnance Operations) The Ordnance branch performs four core missions for the Army: maintenance, ammunition supply and distribution, EOD, and explosives safety through the Defense Am… This change gave the opportunity for Ordnance officers, soldiers, and civilians to identify with their historical predecessors in their mission of Ordnance support to the U.S. Army. The new campus is dedicated to train approximately 70% of all Ordnance personnel. Generally, your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) determines your branch. As the war progressed, the department overcame the lag and matured as an organization and adapted to modern warfare. During the war, Colonel Benjamin Flower and Ezekiel Cheever, a civilian, provided ordnance support in the manufacturing of arms and equipment and supplied support to the army in the field. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces which recognizes those service members, qualified as explosive ordnance disposal technicians, who are specially trained to deal with the construction, deployment, disarmament, and disposal of high explosive munitions including other types of ordnance such as nuclear, biological and chemical weapons along … By warâs end, more than 55,000 officers and soldiers had been trained at one of these locations, including the six Ordnance schools in France. These officers make decisions regarding the purchase, handling, storage, and transport of ordnance. The Ordnance Branch is one of the oldest branches of the U.S. Army, founded on 14 May 1812. The development of the Ordnance school system is another success story during the interwar years. Seven standardized engines and transmissions replaced the 18 and 19, respectively, in the previous fleet of vehicles. Ordnance in AZ Dictionary (n) armed forces materiel, such as weapons, ammunition, fight cars, and gear. His responsibility was to deliver powder and ammunition to selected towns, recover weapons from militia members, receive payment from those who lost weapons, and provide periodic reports to government officials to guide the purchase of firearms, powder, and shot. 5020, Fort Lee, VA, 23801, Commercial telephone (804) 765â7384/ 7368 / 7385. The Ordnance Department applied the maintenance lessons it learned in WWI and devised a five-echelon maintenance system ranging from base shop maintenance to organizational maintenance, all in an effort to return materiel to operational status as near to the front line as possible. Indeed, assignment to the Ordnance branch was one of the most sought-after assignments following graduation at West Point. However, the duties and responsibilities of the profession date back to the colonial era. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equipment, ammunition and clothing and certain minor functions such as laundry, mobile baths and photography. However, the duties and responsibilities of the profession date back to the colonial era. By September 1918, 304 officers, 5,000 enlisted, and 6,000 civilians were conducting tests on a wide range of munitions. Ordnance Officers may continue in the Operations career field, serving in the Ordnance Branch at ever increasing levels of leadership and responsibility. 1 a : military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment bombers dropped heavy concentrations of ordnance on every targeted airfield — Ron Dick. The shell and flame harmonizes with the protection of days gone by. Get more argumentative, persuasive ordnance branch essay samples and other research papers after sing up Regular army troops were equipped with smokeless, bolt-action Krag-Jorgensen rifles, but most volunteer units had the single-shot, breech loading, black powder M1873 Springfield. Even though WWI had been raging in Europe for nearly three years, the Ordnance Department had to play catchup when the United States entered the war in April 1917. Decius Wadsworth, previously superintendant of West Point, was appointed a Colonel and given the title Commissary General of Ordnance, later changed to Chief of Ordnance. Branch of service colors are typically found on the Dress Uniform shoulder insignia, cuff braid, service scarf, and Officer's cape lining. In 1629, Samuel Sharpe was appointed as the first Master Gunner of Ordnance for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The American Revolution established the general outlines of the future Ordnance Department. This effort created a tradition of technological innovation in the Ordnance Department and resulted in a generation of âsoldier-technologistsâ; inventors such as Alfred Mordecai, George Bomford, Thomas J. Rodman, and John H. Hall. In addition to its support role, the Ordnance Department established the Rocket and Howitzer Battery, the only unit in Ordnance history raised specifically for combat duty. Mission. At the peak of the war, the Department numbered 64 officers and 600 enlisted. He is recognized as one of the most able administrators in the Confederate government due to his ability in marshalling an impressive amount of materiel and distributing it to the Confederate Army. At the close of the Mexican War, the department numbered 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant colonel, 4 majors, 12 captains, 15 first lieutenants, and 10 second lieutenants, along with several hundred enlisted personnel and approximately 1000 civilians at the armories and arsenals. Bottle Green 65025 cloth 67191 yarn PMS 343 #00563f. Responsibilities of an Ordnance Captain may include: Commanding and controlling company-sized Ordnance operations units (200-300 Soldiers). For major repairs, it established a system of Ordnance repair base shops in France. Covers everything from maintenance (80%) to munitions management (15%) to EOD (5%). Train, educate, and grow Ordnance professionals who drive change; employ, develop and design DOTMLPF-P solutions to sustain Army readiness and win in Multi-Domain Operations. The Ordnance Department swelled exponentially in WWII and applied the lessons it learned in WWI. General George Washington, the commander of the Continental Army, appointed Ezekiel Cheever, a civilian, to the Commissary of Military Stores to provide Ordnance support to his army in the field in July 1775. It is interesting to note that it was widely anticipated Alfred Mordecai, who was regarded as the most brilliant officer in the Ordnance Department, would quickly rise up the ranks. In 1841, there were two armories and twenty arsenals. Due to the counter-insurgency nature of the war, EOD units were spread thin; there was no âfront lineâ as it existed in WWII or Korea. Ordnance officers were assigned to divisions and above. A few Ordnance officers accepted line commands, such as Major Generals Oliver O. Howard who won the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Fair Oaks in 1862, and Jesse Reno who was killed at the Battle of South Mountain in September 1862. By mid-1779, all the field armies had Ordnance personnel travelling with them. The Ordnance Department was responsible for roughly half of all Army procurement during World War II, $34 billion dollars. The ordnance definition: a department of an army or government dealing with military supplies | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples By the end of the war, almost 8,000 plants were working on Ordnance contracts. Inventors such as Eli Whitney and Simeon North developed the methods and means for mass production through interchangeable parts and refined technology in milling machinery. The Army is a large organization, made up of many different branches. This materiel would later form a large part of the holdings of the Ordnance Museum. Birthday: 14 May 1812. The branch color is Crimson and yellow. Ordnance Documentation showing only Military and Government definitions ( show all 81 definitions ) Note: We have 31 other definitions for OD in our Acronym Attic Without difficulty, it met the needs of the Army for equipment and supplies to support the multiple campaigns of the Mexican War. Crimson and yellow were established as the branch colors on 14 October 1921. The Shell and Flame is considered the oldest branch insignia in the U.S. Army. President Franklin Delano Rooseveltâs âArsenal of Democracyâ depended on the Ordnance Department to become a reality. Consequently, thousands of soldiers were detailed to perform Ordnance duties during the war. Beside each Army Branch name is a number, this number is the total number of MOS’s in that branch. He was given charge of the new Confederate Ordnance Department based in Richmond, Virginia and would rise to Brigadier General by the end of the Civil War. 169 ordnance branch essay examples from trust writing service EliteEssayWriters™. USAOS2221 Adams AveBldg 5020Fort Lee, VA23801-2102. By warâs end, there were more than 2,200 Ordnance units of approximately 40 types, ranging in size from squads to regiments. The office also works hand in hand with the Army’s Ordnance, Quartermaster, and Transportation branch proponency offices to ensure that the branches all stay in synch. 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