INTRODUCTION
As an ammunition officer, one of your duties may be to prepare ammunition for shipment. If so, you will be
required to prepare and process the required documentation, verify that ammunition is available to ship, and
inspect the palletization of the ammunition to be shipped and the procedures used to block and brace the
ammunition on the vehicle.
The term shipment refers to the movement and transfer of ammunition stocks from one ammunition storage
activity to another storage activity using transportation assets not organic to the shipping unit. In routine
operations, corps storage areas (CSAs) and depots ship ammunition on a regular basis to ASPs and ammunition
transfer points (ATPs). These shipments are made from operating stocks arriving in the theater or from stocks
stored in the communications zone.
The decision is made at the corps Standard Army Ammunition System (SAAS) -1/3 level to redistribute stocks
due to a tactical or a logistical situation. SAAS-1/3 sends a shipping directive (XBT-LTD) to the shipping storage
point. This directive, commonly known as a materiel release order (MRO), tells the shipper what to ship, where to
ship it, and when it needs to be there. Simultaneously, SAAS-1/3 sends a notification directive (XBT-IIN) to the
receiving storage point. This directive tells the receiver that a shipment has been directed, what is being shipped,
and when the shipment can be expected to arrive.
After the shipment departs the shipping storage point, the shipper notifies SAAS-1/3 (XBT-LTS) of the shipment.
SAAS-1/3 then transfers the stocks to an in-transit status. When the shipment is received at the receiving storage
point, the receiver notifies SAAS-1/3 (XBT-LTR) of the receipt. SAAS-1/3 then transfers the stocks to the
receiver's assets. The shipment is then complete. See Figure 1-1.
Most often, shipments are made to other SAAS-4 activities. However, they may be made to other activities, such
as to ATPs or storage locations outside the corps. Shipments result in a decrease of ammunition stocks on hand.
They are processed when the notice to ship is received by the SAAS-4 activity.
Now that you understand the shipping process in the corps area, you need to become familiar with shipments that
you may encounter while acting in the capacity of an operations officer, an accountable officer, an ammunition
officer, or a commander at an ASP or storage area.
PREPARING THE SHIPMENT
Process the Shipping Directive
As stated earlier, SAAS-1/3 directs the shipment of ammunition by sending a document identifier code (DIC) XBT
card, with a transaction code of IFD (intransit from directive) or LTD (location transfer directive), to the SAAS-4
activity that is to make the shipment. An XBT card is sent for each quantity to be shipped by Department of
Defense identification code (DODIC) and condition code. The XBT card, commonly known as the MRO, gives
consignee and required delivery date (RDD) information that the SAAS-4 activity will need in order to prepare DD
Form 1384 (Transportation, Control, and Movement Document) and DD Form 1348-1 (DOD Single Line Item
Release/Receipt Document) for the shipment. Figure 1-2, Page 1-4, shows an 80-column XBT-LTD card with
column entries explained under the card.
MM0176
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