Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Kartik Parmar | Members of Military Sealift Command's Expeditionary Port Units 104 and 106 stand by...... read more read more
The last month of 2021 brought with it the renewed efforts of Military Sealift Command to facilitate joint theater cooperation in Europe.
Arriving on November 27, 2021, the MSC time-charted motor vessel ARC Independence brought critical U.S. Army materiel to the eastern Mediterranean through the port of Alexandroupolis, Greece. MSC’s support to the mission began months in advance and included preparations in multiple countries across two continents. The months of preparations culminated on December 3, 2021 with a visit by Greek Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and other distinguished visitors, including the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, Gen. Konstantinos Floros; U.S. Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, Geoffrey Pyatt; U.S. Consul General to Thessaloniki, Elizabeth Lee; and Deputy Commander of Army V Corps, Maj. Gen. Matthew Van Wagenen.
The American-flagged ARC Independence, originally a purpose-built vehicle carrier launched in 2007, was contracted by MSC to transport equipment of the U.S. Army’s 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, from Beaumont, Texas to the port in Greece. The 750-foot vessel, with a 30,000-ton dead weight, only represents a fraction of the sealift capacity of the U.S. joint force, and renewed the United States’ commitment to security cooperation in southern and eastern Europe by demonstrating American sealift mobilization and logistics capabilities. ARC Independence carried more than 40 helicopters and 700 pieces of total cargo for the Ft. Hood, Texas-based 1st Air Cavalry Brigade and rolling stock cargo for discharge at Alexandroupolis.
In a concurrent mission, the ship loaded more than two dozen helicopters and 250 pieces of other cargo for the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade from Ft. Riley, Kansas, which was finishing its Atlantic Resolve rotation.
"The ever-growing volume of military activity at the Port of Alexandroupolis underscores this location's expanding strategic role as a lynchpin of our defense and security relationship in Greece's north, in addition to its role as a key gateway to the Western Balkans and the Black Sea region, supporting NATO's commitment to deter and defend," said Ambassador Pyatt. "And with each visit, we welcome a new milestone of partnership, collaboration and growth between the United States and Greece, not just in the realm of defense, because Alexandroupolis is also playing an increasingly important role in our country's shared goals of bolstering European energy and climate security and building regional stability."
Captain Frank E. Okata, Commander of MSC Europe and Africa (MSCEURAF) and Commander, Task Force 63, described the operation as, "A highlight of U.S.-Greek military cooperation in 2021 enabled through flexible sealift capability."
Personnel from MSCEURAF headquarters, from Naples, Italy, and members of Expeditionary Port Unit (EPU) 106, a reserve component unit based out of Baltimore, and EPU 104 from Syracuse, New York were crucial in making these evolutions a success. The composite EPU team was led by Lt. Cmdr. Kartik Parmar.
The latest efforts of MSC in Europe highlight the U.S. military’s ability to mobilize, deploy, and establish a sealift presence, helping to ensure regional stability.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2022 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 412717 |
| Location: | ALEXANDROUPOLIS, GR |
| Web Views: | 496 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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