Photo By LaShawn Sykes | Military Sealift Command’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF) fleet replenishment oiler,...... read more read more
Military Sealift Command’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF) fleet replenishment oiler, USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) and dry cargo and ammunition ship, USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13) provided critical sea-based logistics, Jan. 12 – Feb. 12, during the Navy’s month-long high intensity composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Atlantic Ocean. Vessels participating in the exercise were the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69, the ships and aircraft carrier of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2, and the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKE CSG).
According to a recent Navy press release, “COMPTUEX is a live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) training that provides Sailors from the IKE CSG with an opportunity to operate real equipment with real risk. LVC training increases interoperability and provides the fleet with unprecedented flexibility in conducting training across the spectrum of operations and threat scenarios.”
Having two CLF ships assigned to COMPTUEX, in particular a T-AKE and a T-AO, was a very effective combination that allowed for full support of the Strike Group, said Capt. Douglas M. Jaarsma, master of USNS Kanawha. “While Kanawha provided the high demand of F-76 DFM (Diesel Fuel Marine) and F-44 JP5 (Jet Fuel), Medgar Evers supplied the bulk of the dry cargo, in particular, the refrigerated cargo.”
A critical component of COMPTUEX is the integration of sea-based logistics, which uses CLF ships to conduct logistics operations from the sea. “Kanawha’s and Medgar Evers’ capacity to transfer critical supplies, food, ordinance, military cargo and equipment, along with millions of gallons of fuel at sea, allowed the Strike Group to maximize combat readiness during the exercise. Working together as a force multiplier, Kanawha and Medgar Evers enabled the Strike Group to remain underway and in the fight throughout the life of the exercise. This significantly contributing to operational readiness and certification excellence,” said MSC Atlantic Commodore Capt. Janice C. Smith.
Apart of the same bloodline of MSC’s CLF ships, Kanawha and Medgar Evers provided the lifeblood to COMPTUEX, said Capt. Zachary J. Daniels, master of USNS Medgar Evers. “Warships can only do their mission so long as there is logistical support at sea. Without logistical sea support, our Navy ships will have to pull into port to resupply, refuel, and rearm thus, taking them completely out of the fight. Our ability to furnish everything from food, to repair parts, to movies, mail, and the everyday consumables are what keeps, sustains, and enables our warfighters at sea to successfully accomplish their mission.”
Integrated exercises like COMPTUEX helps our civil service mariners (CIVMARS) test their skills – both basic and advanced get flexed and tested, from high-level staff planning to the line handlers down on the deck, said Daniels. “We practice for a day we hope never comes; but if a real world event does happen, MSC’s integration with the U.S. Navy’s fighting fleet will play a vital role in our nation’s military success.”
Jaarsma and Daniels said they are equally proud of their crews’ operational commitment to support COMPTUEX, performing 53 underway replenishments and two vertical replenishments with 12 Navy ships and safely transferring more than 11 million gallons of fuel and delivering more than 2000 pallets of critical cargo. “It takes everyone, from the cooks in the galley, to the engineers working on the toilets, to the person steering the ship, for us to accomplish our mission,” said Daniels. Echoing Daniels’ sentiment, Jaarsma said, “The high level performance of both crews was another success story in the CLF ships’ ability to safely deliver on-time logistic services to our warships at sea.”
Composed of 31 ships (15 fleet replenishment oilers, 14 ordinance and dry cargo ships, and two fast combat support ships), CLF ships allow Navy warships to remain on station indefinitely, projecting power.
In 2020, MSC ships, operating in the Atlantic, loaded and discharged 1.1 million tons of strategic cargo, delivered more than 100 million gallons of petroleum products, and more than 640 million pounds of ordnance, said Smith. “In total, CLF ships supported 14 deployments, eight major fleet exercises, and three fleet ordnance moves.”
MSC operates approximately 120 non-combatant civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, and strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world while moving military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
For more information from Military Sealift Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/MSC.
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2021 13:01 |
| Story ID: | 389904 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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