Munitions Recordkeeping
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An Accountable Property Officer (APO) is a government official in charge of asset management for an organization. They are responsible for ensuring that government property is appropriately accounted for, maintained, and utilized. An APO in charge of ammunition supply point is a stock record officer. That is responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of inventory levels, stock movements, and other related information in a stock record account. The stock record accounts are records of transactions for each inventory line item and a detailed record of all activities related to munitions within the account. But exactly how does that filing system look like? Like most things in the military, there is a regulation with specific instructions and a system that can be used. There are a few terms that need an explanation.
Definitions
Army Records Information Management System
A web-based IT system that identifies, arranges, manages, stores, retrieves, and applies dispositions to Army record material.
Record Number (RN)
The number assigned under ARIMS to a specific series of records. The number is based on the prescribing directive specifying they will be created and known as the file number.
Office Record List (ORL)
List of record titles/RNs used within a specific office annually.
Disposition Codes
Records instructions are coded and have an initial letter “K” for keep or “T” for transfer, followed by an “E” for event when applicable. The last part of the code is a number representing the retention period or the letter “P” for permanent retention.
Example
An example of the filing system can be found in the Army Guide to Recordkeeping, DA Pam 25–403, in the figure below. File labels for hardcopy records are generated in the Army Records Information Management System (ARIMS), which automates the process by using the Office Record List and folder tab of the system.
Figure 1. Time disposition Example with Labels.
Disposition Codes
Table 1. Disposition Codes and Meanings.
Record Numbers (Example)
In the example below, records prescribed by AR 600-20 are identified by RNs 600–20a1, 600–20a2, and 600–20b. Ammunition records would be prescribed by logistics, which are 700 series, such as AR 700-28, Ammunition Management, and DA PAM 700-16, Ammunition Management.
Table 2. AR 600-20 Record Numbers Example.
Conclusion
Munitions Recordkeeping is a statutory requirement for stock record officers with stock record accounts. The obligation to follow Army Recordkeeping procedures is made much easier with the Army Records Information Management System, which is far simpler than the former Modern Army Recordkeeping System. However, appointed Accountable Property Officers must understand how the process is done and update their records to ensure they are kept accurate.
References
Army Regulation 25–400–2. (1 October 2001). The Modern Army Recordkeeping System (MARKS) [Inactive]. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA402193.pdf
Department of the Army Pamphlet 25–403. (10 November 2022). Army Guide to Recordkeeping. https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN38438-PAM_25-403-002-WEB-3.pdf