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Military Sealift Command combat logistic fleet ship USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) has been provided logistical support to 22 multi-national, surface ships participating in the biennial international maritime exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2020 in Hawaii.
Kaiser conducted 39 underway replenishments (UNREP), delivering nearly 4 milliongallons of diesel ship fuel, 0ver 65 thousand gallons JP5 aviation fuel and moved 183 Pallets of food, supplies and retrograde materials.
MSC is known for its logistics support to ships at sea, but what makes RIMPAC significant is the sheer volume of the support provided. According to the Military Sealift Command Pacific Logistics and Operations department, during a ship like Kaiser, serving as the duty oiler in the Hawaiian area of operations, could perform between 10-20 UNREPs a month, depending on the exercises or missions happening that month, where during RIMPAC, Kaiser performed 39 over a 15 day period, sometimes as many as six in one day.
The key to meeting the demands of RIMPAC is MSC’s ability to work in concert, directly with Commander Third Fleet and Commander Task Force 173. The MSCPAC Combat Logistics Officer (CLO) coordinated the delivery of food and stores, as well as the pierside time at the correct pier for the loadouts of cargo to the specific ships scheduled for later RAS.
“RIMPAC is one of our most challenging logistics moves for MSC,” explained Capt. Gabe Varela, Commander, Military Sealift Command Pacific. “We are responsible for getting fuel and stores to a large volume of ships at sea both for the U.S. Navy as well as our International friends and allies. This can be very demanding on the CLF ship’s crew, as well as the CLO and the operations teams. The only way we can make this happen is by ensuring good lines of communications are open and sustained, and that we are working as a team with all the players. The continued professionalism of our CIVMARs, our military members and our civilians really shines in exercises like this. MSCPAC has a great team and I am very proud of the job they have done supporting RIMPAC 2020.”
RIMPAC is a multinational maritime exercise that takes place in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. RIMPAC 2020 is the 27th in the series that began in 1971, and is scheduled from 17- to 31 Aug. This year’s exercise will demonstrate the Navy’s ability to operate ships, submarines, and aircraft with likeminded nations during crisis. The flexible approach to RIMPAC 2020 strikes the right balance between combating future adversaries at and from the sea, as well as the COVID-19 threat. RIMPAC is a unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea-lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC also includes U.S. Marines comprised of III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) units based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will participate in the Southern California portion of RIMPAC. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, RIMPAC 2020 has been conducted mostly at sea, with limited shore activities consisting of logistics and other support function with minimal staff.
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.20.2020 14:49 |
| Story ID: | 377433 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MSC’s USNS Henry J. Kaiser Provides Logistics Services to Ships-at-Sea During RIMPAC 2020, by Sarah Cannon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
