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Navy Reservists to Report for Customs Mission

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060728-17
Release Date: 7/28/2006 1:08:00 PM

By Lt. Karin R. Burzynski, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group Public Affairs

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (NNS) -- Navy Reserve Sailors report for duty at 104 Navy Operational Support Centers across the country, July 28, for a pending Middle East deployment.

Navy Operational Support Centers with the highest concentration of Reservists for this mission are Bessemer, Ala., Chicago, Ill., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Orlando, Fla.

The 450 Navy Reservists are being mobilized by the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group in Williamsburg, Va., to support Operation Iraqi Freedom in Kuwait and Iraq. The Navy Reservists will train to perform a customs inspection mission and will become “Navy Customs Battalion Romeo.”

About 70 percent of the Reservists volunteered for this vital mission, including about 20 percent of the Sailors who come from the Reserve Submarine Force. One of Submarine Force units, USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) Detachment C, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has about 21 Reservists reporting for this duty, said Lt. Cmdr. Russ Fallon, commanding officer of Emory S. Land Detachment C.

"We are a submarine maintenance unit, but when the assignment came to perform the customs mission, these dedicated men and women answered the call," Fallon said. "In all, submarine force Sailors will make up about 20 percent of Navy Customs Battalion Romeo. They're excited to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, and their commitment makes me and the rest of their leaders proud."

Rear Adm. Hank Tomlin, commander, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, said the number of volunteers for this mission is impressive.

“As NAVELSG (Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group) and the Navy, as a whole, takes on a larger role in Operation Iraqi Freedom, it’s heartwarming to learn that so many Reservists are volunteering,” Tomlin said. “We are thrilled to have a sizeable number of Reservists from the submarine force, as well as all other patriotic volunteers coming together to take on this critical mission.”

After clearing through their operational support centers, all the Reservists will then travel to Naval Mobilization Processing Site (NMPS) Norfolk, Va., for mobilization briefings and medical screening. Upon clearing NMPS, the Sailors will spend four weeks training in Williamsburg, Va. The training will include a predeployment combat skills refresher course and customs inspection certification.

The Sailors will serve as Department of Defense customs inspectors at sea and air ports of debarkation sites in Kuwait and Iraq. As inspectors, they will provide a two-fold mission:

Ensure returning military equipment conforms to U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. Customs inspectors are the first line of defense against the introduction of foreign plant and animal pests and diseases to the United States, and ensure all gear returning with personnel serving abroad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom complies with United States customs regulations for re-entry into the United States.

Navy personnel will work directly for the Army to provide this critical combat service support mission. As part of a scheduled force rotation, the Sailors will relieve Navy Customs Battalion Quebec, which is currently performing the mission.

NAVELSG is under the new Echelon III type command, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), which stood up in January and includes Naval Coastal Warfare, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Naval Construction Forces Command.

NECC integrates all warfighting requirements for expeditionary combat and combat support elements. This transformation allows for standardized training, manning and equipping of Sailors who will participate in the global war on terrorism as part of the joint force. It also results in more capable, responsive and effective expeditionary Sailors.

For related news, visit the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/nelsf/.