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Introducing the U.S. Navy Insensitive Munitions Handbook
Ken Tomasello; Insensitive Munitions Office,
Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity; Indian Head, MD, USA
Jerry Ward, PhD, Don Porada, and Mark Peterson, CSP; Booz Allen Hamilton;
Arlington, VA, USA
Key Words: Insensitive Munitions (IM), U.S. Navy IM Handbook, U.S. Navy IM Development
Process, Joint IM Strategic Planning (IMSP), IM/Hazard Classification (HC) Harmonization, IM
Compliance,
ABSTRACT
The Naval Ordnance Safety & Security Activity (NOSSA) will issue the “U.S. Navy Insensitive
Munitions Handbook” on the secure NOSSA website. The Handbook will be a comprehensive
source of information tailored for the Navy Insensitive Munitions (IM) community, specifically
for the Munitions Program Offices that are required to develop and conduct IM Programs for
their munitions. This paper is intended as an introduction of the Handbook to the international
IM and Munitions Safety community. The paper provides discussions of sections of the
Handbook that address: (a) Selected history of the IM Program; (b) Navy IM policy and
guidance; (c) The Navy IM development process; (d) The Joint IM Strategic Planning
(IMSP)/Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms) process; (e) IM research projects; (f) Threat
Hazard Assessments; (g) IM qualification that covers: Explosives Qualification and Final (Type)
Qualification, Harmonized IM/Hazard Classification (HC) Testing, Joint Standard IM Tests, and
IM/HC Test Plan Template; and (h) IM compliance. The IM research projects and the relevant
points of contact are based on information, from the: (a) FY17/18 IMSP/POA&Ms and (b) IM
Technology Programs (Joint Munitions Program (JMP), Joint IM Technology Program (JIMTP),
IM Advanced Development (IMAD) Program, and IM Technology Transition Program
(IMTTP). The 2017 information is included in the Handbook to provide recent examples of the
range of IM research and collaboration that is indicative of the range of possibilities for future
areas for IM research and collaboration.
INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this paper is to inform the IM and Munitions Safety communities of an initiative
by the Navy IM Office (IMO) to develop a U.S. Navy IM Handbook. The Handbook will be a
comprehensive source of guidance, requirements, format, and information tailored for the Navy
Statement A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
