THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1775
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
17 July 2023
*Army Regulation 75-1
Effective 17 August 2023

Explosives

Malfunctions Involving Ammunition and Explosives Policy

By Order of the Secretary of the Army:

JAMES C. MCCONVILLE
General, United States Army
Chief of Staff

MARK F. AVERILL
Administrative Assistant to the
Secretary of the Army

History. This publication is a major revision. The portions affected by this major revision are listed in the summary of change.

Authorities. This regulation implements DoDD 6055.09E, DoDI 6055.07, and DESR 6055.09.

Applicability. This regulation applies to the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve, unless otherwise stated.

Proponent and exception authority. The proponent of this regulation is the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4. The proponent has the authority to approve exceptions or waivers to this regulation that are consistent with applicable law and regulations. The proponent may delegate this approval authority, in writing, to a division chief within the proponent agency or its direct reporting unit or field operating agency in the grade of colonel or the civilian equivalent. Activities may request a waiver to this regulation by providing justification that includes a full analysis of the expected benefits and must include formal review by the activity's senior legal officer. All waiver requests will be endorsed by the commander or senior leader of the requesting activity and forwarded through the activity headquarters to the policy proponent. Refer to AR 25-30 for specific requirements.

Army internal control process. This regulation contains internal control provisions in accordance with AR 11-2 and identifies key internal controls that must be evaluated (see appendix B).

Suggested improvements. Users are invited to send comments and suggested improvements on DA FormDA FormDepartment of the Army form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms) directly to usarmy.pentagon.hqda-dcs-g-4.mbx.publications@mail.mil.

Distribution. This publication is available in electronic media only and is intended for the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve.

*This regulation supersedes AR 75-1, dated 9 February 2017.

AR 75-1 • 17 July 2023

UNCLASSIFIED

Ammunition and explosives Includes, but is not necessarily limited to, all items of U.S. titled (such as, owned by the Government through the DoD components) ammunition; propellants, liquid and solid; pyrotechnics; high explosives; guided missiles; warheads; devices; and chemical agent substances, devices, and components present- ing real or potential hazards to life, property, and the environment. Excluded are wholly inert items and nuclear warheads and devices, except for considerations of storage and stowage compatibility, blast, fire, and nonnuclear fragment hazards associated with the explosives (see DESR 6055.09). Conventional am- munition includes the following: Grenades, cartridges, projectiles, mines, pyrotechnics, bombs, warheads with all type fillers (for example, high explosives or chemical), simulated nuclear weapons, bulk explo- sives, demolition materiel, and rockets without nuclear capability; propellant and cartridge-actuated de- vices, as well as airdrop and air crew escape systems components (for example, line cutters, delay car- tridges ejection seats, and extraction systems); missile parachute airdrop and recovery systems; chemical ammunition, and other special purpose munitions.

Dud See unexploded ordnance.

Guided missiles and large rockets All guided missiles and large rockets with nonnuclear or chemical capability either in complete round con- figuration or in separately packaged items for issue in a complete round assembly, solid and liquid propel- lants, and explosive components.

Malfunction Failure of an ammunition item to function as expected when fired or launched and explosive items that fail to function. Malfunctions include hang fires, misfires, duds, abnormal functioning, and premature function- ing of explosive ammunition items under normal handling, maintenance, storage, transportation, and tacti- cal deployment. Malfunctions do not include mishaps or incidents that result solely from negligence, mal- practice, or situations such as vehicle mishaps or fires. ACOMs, ASCCs, and DRUs divide malfunctions into four classes: Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class X. Class A malfunctions result in death or lost- time injury, are similar to previous malfunctions that have resulted in death or lost-time injury, are judged as having had an appreciable probability of causing death or lost-time injury, or have adverse political im- plications. Class B malfunctions result in damage to major equipment that cannot be repaired at the unit level of maintenance or result in an ammunition suspension that significantly impacts readiness or train- ing.Class C malfunctions involve any other performance incident not covered above. Class X malfunc- tions involved any other nonperformance incidents (visual defects).

Military munitions Military munitions means all ammunition and explosive products and components produced for or used by the armed forces for national defense and security, including ammunition products or components under the control of the DoD, the Coast Guard, the Department of Energy, and the National Guard. The term includes confined gaseous, liquid, and solid propellants; explosives, pyrotechnics, chemical and riot con- trol agents, smokes, and incendiaries, including bulk explosives and chemical warfare agents; chemical munitions, rockets, guided and ballistic missiles, bombs, warheads, mortar rounds, artillery ammunition, small arms ammunition, grenades, mines, torpedoes, depth charges, cluster munitions and dispensers, and demolition charges; and devices and components of any item thereof. The term does not include wholly inert items, improvised explosive devices, and nuclear weapons, nuclear devices, and nuclear components, other than nonnuclear components of nuclear devices that are managed under the nuclear weapons program of the Department of Energy after all required sanitization operations under 42 USCUSCUnited States Code 2011 (The Atomic Energy Act of 1954) have been completed (see 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 101(e)(4)).

Nonstandard munitions AE (munitions) that have not completed safety-type classification, do not have a national stock number or DoD identification code, and are not available for procurement through DoD’s military munitions supply system. Such munitions include, but may not be limited to foreign munitions, commercial munitions, and munitions modified or that are prototypes developed for test and evaluation purposes.

Release An order that rescinds a previously imposed suspension or restriction and restores the materiel to service- able status. This includes munitions that are released with a restriction.

Suspension or restriction An administrative procedure used to identify all munitions that have been withdrawn from issue or use, with or without qualifications, because of a an unsafe, or suspected unsafe, condition, or munitions that cannot be expected to meet required performance under all conditions, but may be issued and used with qualifications on their use. Suspensions and restrictions may be categorized by type, block, or serious im- pact: Type suspension or restriction . A suspension or restriction applied to all lots of one model number, including all modifications or variations produced (for example, cartridge 105 millimeter high explosive plastic tracer M393A2 series). Block suspension or restriction. A suspension or restriction applied to all lots of one particular modification or variation of a model number (for example, cartridge 105 millimeter high explosive plastic tracer M393A2 series). Serious-impact suspension or restriction . A suspension or restriction that results in reducing serviceable assets of a munitions item to less than 50 percent of the stockpile or 50 percent impact criteria at the OCONUSOCONUSOutside the continental United States ACOMs, ASCCs, or DRUs is determined to have a significant impact on Army readiness irrespective of percentage of stockpile affected, or prevents a unit from meeting its operational commitment. Specific suspension or restriction . A suspension or restriction may also be applied to a specific lot, group of lots, or serial numbered items without being categorized as defined above.

Unexploded ordnance UXO means military munitions that: (1) have been primed, fused, armed, or otherwise prepared for action; to operations, installations, personnel, or material; and (3) remain unexploded, whether by malfunction, design, or any other cause (see 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 101). Also referred to as duds.

Malfunctions Involving Ammunition and Explosives Policy This major revision, dated 17 July 2023— • Corrects and updates offices of responsibility (para 1–4). • Moves procedures for malfunction investigation and reporting, notification of defects, suspension, and restriction of ammunition and explosives, and duds and misfire notification to DA PamDA PamDepartment of the Army Pamphlets 75 – 1 (throughout). • Implements administrative formatting changes (throughout).