• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Korean Defense Exercise Tests Surge Sealift Capability

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060405-04
Release Date: 4/5/2006 2:10:00 PM

By Edward Baxter, Military Sealift Command, Far East Public Affairs

SOUTH KOREA (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command, Far East (MSC FE) based in Yokohama, Japan, and representatives from four Expeditionary Port Units teamed up to manage the massive influx of cargo required to sustain U.S. forces in a real emergency during Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (RSOI) and Foal Eagle 2006, March 25-31.

Thousands of Korean-based troops and U.S. 7th Fleet warships deployed to the region for the exercise, which demonstrates U.S. resolve to support South Korea while improving overall readiness, and tests the U.S.’s ability to move cargo quickly into theater.

“The exercise is not only valuable training, but, builds teamwork and cohesion between our permanent staff members and our reserve units, which, in a real crisis, would be critical,” said Capt. Donald R. Price, Military Sealift Command, Far East’s commander.

Sealift Logistics Far East 101, commanded by Capt. John Fry, deployed a 12-man team who, along with MSC FE permanent personnel, staffed a ‘24-7’ battle watch at MSC FE’s headquarters, to be the command center to manage all theater strategic sealift issues— including sealift planning, execution, tracking and reporting.

An additional 15 personnel joined with staff members from MSC Office, Korea, to stand up a sub-area command in the Republic of Korea. The sub-area command conducted port operations, and provided MSC liaison officers to various U.S.-ROK combined logistics command centers.

Staff members were tasked to coordinate the sudden influx of 20 massive cargo ships over a six-day period, in challenging scenarios, including responding to ships being hit by torpedoes and closure of the harbor due to enemy mines. Although simulated, the exercise did include real MSC ships that could be deployed in the event of a crisis.

The exercise also tests MSC’s abilities to communicate and integrate with other commands and commercial groups, including the U.S. Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Busan’s senior port managers, Republic of Korea Navy, and other U.S. Navy elements under a Combined Seaport Coordination Center (CSCC) also based at Busan. Together, the CSCC team managed all theater strategic sealift requirements and coordinated operations at the port, including berthing, cargo staging, port clearances, ship husbanding and repair, and stevedore labor.

Military Sealift Command, Far East, supports more than 40 ships in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, including strategic sealift ships which transport dry cargo and fuel, special mission ships which perform oceanographic research, submarine surveillance and other unique operations, underway replenishment ships which deliver fuel and supplies to U.S. Navy combat ships at sea, and prepositioning ships which carry heavy combat equipment and supplies for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army.