PART A: LEVELS OF MAINTENANCE
1. There are four levels of maintenance for conventional ammunition performed in the field:
Organizational, Direct Support (DS), General Support (GS), and Depot level. These levels encompass
the full scope of ammunition maintenance to be performed in the Theater of Operations (TO).
2. These maintenance responsibilities are as required in the Department of the Army (DA) Technical
Manuals (TMs), related publications and regulations. These levels of maintenance are detailed in the
Maintenance Allocation Chart (MAC) published in the Organizational Maintenance TM for specific
materiel. The levels of maintenance are briefly described below.
a. Organizational Maintenance.
(1) Organizational maintenance is performed by all activities having conventional ammunition on
hand, to include using units.
(2) It is performed to prevent deterioration of ammunition due to rough handling and exposure.
(3) Organizational units may call upon DS units for technical advice, assistance and support.
(4) This level of maintenance involves cleaning, removal of minor rust and corrosion, repair and
replacement of boxes, repalletizing, and repacking.
b. Direct Support (DS) Maintenance.
(1) DS maintenance is performed by conventional ammunition companies providing support directly
behind the divisions. DS maintenance includes surveillance with limited maintenance.
(2) This category of maintenance includes the functions of inspections, tests, care and preservation,
and service and repair (as authorized), on all types of conventional ammunition under the control
of ammunition storage and issue facilities.
(3) DS maintenance includes repairing, restenciling, or replacing packing materials; and declipping,
reclipping, and changing ratio linkage of small arms ammunition.
(4) Replacing readily removable parts and components, removing exudation from artillery
examples of DS operations.
c. General Support (GS) Maintenance.
(1) Basic procedures: All GS ammunition renovation operations have essentially five main actions:
unpack, disassemble, perform the required work, reassemble, and repack.
(2) General support maintenance consists of, but is not limited to:
(a) Removal of exterior rust and corrosion.
(b) Painting and stencilling.
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