Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer RJ Stratchko | Sailors from Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (NCHB) 1 and NCHB-5 offload sections of...... read more read more
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Operation Deep Freeze: US Army 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) Makes a LOTS Splash
By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist RJ Stratchko, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group Public Affairs
MCMURDO STATION, Antarctica — Sheets of ice litter the harbor moving and spinning from the wind. U.S. Army Soldiers in extreme cold weather gear on tugs move modular causeway system sections around and through the ice into place. Their unique mission, building a pier in the austere environment of Antarctica. The Soldiers from 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) were up for the challenge.
This brigade can conduct many different types of missions, sometimes known as the Army's Navy, is the only Active component Army unit that exclusively executes logistics over-the-shore (LOTS) operations which include loading and offloading watercraft in austere environments where ports are unavailable, damaged, or without adequate fixed port facilities.
This year the 7th TB(X) was joined by Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (NCHB) 1 and NCHB-5 which were there to offload the sections of modular causeway system from Military Sealift Command-chartered cargo ship MV Ocean Giant.
“We began offloading our equipment from the Ocean Giant right away so that we could build the pier where the ice pier was,” said Staff Sgt. Donald Harris, 7th TB(X) pilot of the pier.
The brigade can conduct many different types of missions. However, its primary strategic mission is to conduct LOTS operations, “Breaking ice is something we’ve experienced in 2012 and 2020,” said Capt. Tara Espinoza, 7th TB(X) Officer in Charge. “It’s good training for the soldiers to understand that they could be deployed to other Artic or Antarctic environments and know that weather should not restrict our mission and be able to accomplish the mission in any circumstance.
The TB(X)'s shallow draft vessels provide early-entry capability in degraded ports or austere environments.
“Within the 7th TB(X) we are the causeway company, we are unique from other branches of service because it has a one-foot draft, gets closer to shore, and we can break the causeway down smaller than other DoD causeways,” said Espinoza.
This year the weight of the equipment and supplies coming from cargo ships exceeds the allowable weight limits of the ice pier’s Bailey bridge. The U.S. Army’s modular causeway system is the solution to the heavier weighted equipment being delivered.
“Our equipment can handle any piece of equipment the Army has, including tanks and other large trucks, so some containers are no problem,” said Sgt. Nicholas Hall, 7th TB(X) pier noncommissioned officer.
The 7th TB(X) executes maritime operations everywhere. It has crews in the U.S. Pacific Command, the U.S. Southern Command, and the U.S. Central Command areas of operations. Shifting from a sustainment brigade has really allowed the brigade to focus and refine its tactics, techniques, and procedures in order to provide the best support to the COCOMs.
Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica (JTF-SFA), oversees the activities of the joint services and provides Department of Defense support to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and United States Antarctic Program (USAP) through Operation Deep Freeze. The U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, U.S. Navy, U.S. Navy Reserve, U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, and Military Sealift Command make up JTF-SFA.
JTF-SFA coordinates strategic inter-theater airlift, tactical deep field support, aeromedical evacuation support, search and rescue response, sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply logistics, port cargo handling, and transportation requirements.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.02.2023 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 437587 |
| Location: | MCMURDO, AQ |
| Web Views: | 503 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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