FISC Yokosuka Reviews USNS Mercy Support, Humanitarian Operations
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS061012-13
Release Date: 10/12/2006 4:50:00 PM
By Bill Doughty, U.S. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Yokosuka
SINGAPORE (NNS) -- Throughout October 2006, leaders at U.S. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) Yokosuka and its detachment in Singapore are evaluating how humanitarian support was provided in the western Pacific over the past fiscal year in order to be ready for future operations in the region.
By far, the biggest humanitarian-related support in the past year has been provided to USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), which returned to its homeport of San Diego Sept. 29 after completing a five-month deployment in Southeast Asia, delivering humanitarian services to nearly 200,000 people.
According to Lt. Michael Lang, deputy officer in charge of FISC Yokosuka’s Singapore Detachment, support to Mercy was both direct and indirect.
“Directly, we contributed through procurement actions of medical supplies, and construction supplies for Seabees who did public works projects in the countries Mercy visited,” said Lang.
Mercy’s Seabees built facilities, helped build a water treatment plant, and repaired schools and hospitals with materials and support provided by FISC Detachment Singapore.
Indirectly, FISC Detachment Singapore provided logistics representatives to advance on-site teams that traveled to ports and places with exotic names: Zamboanga, Jolo Island and Tawi Tawi, Philippines; Chittagong, Bangladesh; Banda Aceh, Simelue, Nias, Kupang and Tarakan, Indonesia; and Dili, East Timor. The FISC representatives gathered data on shipping capabilities, water depth, anchorage and pierside locations, transportation routes, lodging facilities, supply procurement sources, mail delivery, and numerous other logistics requirements.
“You know the famous quote from Julius Caesar: ‘Amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics.’ We absolutely had a direct impact on the success of Mercy’s humanitarian mission,” said Lang. “When the ship comes steaming up the channel, we’d better have their parts, mail, all the shore services – phones, vehicles, water taxis, etc. – all set up and ready to support them. That’s exactly what we did.”
FISC Detachment Singapore provides ongoing logistics support throughout the year to Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, transiting ships, and other customers. Much of the support is provided through husbanding and voyage repair contracts.
“Our contracting shop solicits bids for prospective contractors and awards contracts that provide the best value to the fleet customer,” said Lang. “Our logistics support center sends out naval messages providing all of the pertinent information for specific ports, and liaises with the ships to work out every detail.”
U.S. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Yokosuka assumed responsibility for the Singapore detachment in January 2006 under a realignment by Commander, Naval Installations Command.
Capt. Andrew Benson, commanding officer of FISC Yokosuka, said it is now easier for FISC to be worldwide.
“Now that we have a detachment in Singapore, itself, as well as sites in places like Hong Kong, Manila and Jakarta, we play a role and will play a role in any contingency or natural disaster that could occur.”
Benson said that FISC Yokosuka will continue evaluating lessons learned in FY06 and will be ready to support the fleet anywhere in the western Pacific for operational as well as humanitarian missions in the year ahead.
U.S. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Yokosuka provides direct fleet support for forward-deployed naval units throughout the western Pacific as part of Commander, Fleet and Industrial Supply Centers and Naval Supply Systems Command. FISC Yokosuka’s mission includes, but is not limited to, regional inventory management and contracting, fuel logistics, hazardous material minimization, military postal services, and movement of personal property.
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