The 'Military Sealift Command' ('MSC') is a
United States Navy (USN) organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on
9 July 1949 when the 'Military Sea Transportation Service' ('MSTS') became solely responsible for the
Department of Defense's ocean transport needs. The MSTS was renamed the Military Sealift Command in 1970.
Military Sealift Command ships are civilian manned, and are referred to be as being in service, rather than in commission. Some, owned by the
United States Government, have the prefix 'USNS', standing for United States Naval Ship, whilst others, on charter or equivalent, are simply the normal merchant 'MV' or 'SS'. Their hull numbers have the prefix '''T-''' in addition to the normal hull number that an equivalent commissioned ship in the USN would have.
Four programs comprise Military Sealift Command: Sealift, Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF), Special Mission, and Prepositioning. The Sealift program provides the bulk of the MSC's supply-carrying operation and operates tankers for fuel transport and dry-cargo ships that transport equipment, vehicles, helicopters, ammunition, and supplies. The NFAF’s role is to directly
replenish ships that are underway at sea, enabling them to deploy for long periods of time without having to come to port. The Special Mission program operates vessels for unique military and federal government tasks, such as submarine support and missile flight data collection and tracking. The Prepositioning program sustains the U.S. military's forward presence strategy by deploying supply ships in key areas of the ocean before it is actually needed.
Mission
The United States Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing
sealift and ocean transportation for all US military services as well as for other government agencies. It is a component of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command is one of three component commands reporting to the
U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM).
History
Military Sea Transportation prior to 1949
As early as
1847, the
Army and Navy chartered
American merchant ships separately. Following the
Mexican-American War, Brigadier General
Thomas S. Jesup, Quartermaster of the Army, recommended that the Navy be given responsibility for all water transportation requirements for the military. However, each service managed their own sea transportation throughout the nineteenth century and both World Wars.
In
World War II, four different government agencies conducted military sealift functions, the
Naval Transportation Service, the
Army Transport Service, the
U. S. Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration, and the
Fleet Support Services. To oversee these organizations, the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) established the
Joint Military Transportation Command.
Military Sea Transportation Service
On
December 15,
1948, the
Secretary of Defense James Forrestal issued a statement, "all military sea transport including Army transports would be placed under Navy command." Issues with funding held up the transfer of the functions to the Navy. The new Secretary of Defense,
Louis Johnson, issued a memorandum on
July 12,
1949 that detailed service responsibilities and the funding of the new Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS).
[1]
MSTS became the single managing agency for the
Department of Defense's ocean transportation needs. The command assumed responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all military services as well as for other government agencies.
Only nine months after its creation, MSTS responded to the challenge of the
Korean War. On
July 6,
1950, only eleven days after the initial invasion of
South Korea by
North Korean troops, MSTS deployed the
24th Infantry Division for duty in
Japan to
Pusan, South Korea. In addition to transporting troops and combat equipment to and from Korea, command ships supplied US bases and
Distant Early Warning line construction sites and supported US nation building efforts from Europe and Africa, to the
Far East.
The 1960s brought the conflict in
Southeast Asia. From 1965 to 1969 MSTS moved almost 54 million
tons of
combat equipment and supplies and almost 8 million
long tons of fuel to
Vietnam. The
Vietnam War era also marked the last use of MSC troop ships for personnel movement. Currently, most U.S. troops are prepositioned by air.
Military Sealift Command
MSTS was renamed Military Sealift Command (MSC) in 1970. Through the 1970s and 1980s MSC provided the Department of Defense with ocean transportation as part of U.S. deterrent efforts during the
Cold War years. During the first
Persian Gulf War, consisting of
Operation Desert Shield and
Operation Desert Storm, MSC distinguished itself as the largest source of defense transportation of any nation involved. Command resources were tasked to deliver more than 12 million tons (11 million metric tons) of wheeled and tracked vehicles,
helicopters,
ammunition, dry cargo,
fuel and other supplies and equipment during the war. At the high point of the war, more than 230 government-owned and chartered
ships delivering the largest part of the international arsenal that defeated
Iraq. MSC was also involved in the second Persian Gulf War,
Operation Iraqi Freedom, delivering 61 million square feet (5.7 km²) of cargo and 1.1 billion US
gallons (4,200,000 m³) of fuel by the end of the first year.
Command structure
Military Sealift Command is organized around four programs:
★ Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force or NFAF
★ Special Missions
★ Prepositioning
★ Sealift
Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force
The Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force is the part of the MSC most associated with directly supporting the Navy. In 1972, a study concluded that it would be cheaper for civilians to man USN support vessels such as tankers and stores ships. The NFAF is the American equivalent of the British
Royal Fleet Auxiliary. These MSC ships are painted battleship-grey (except for the hospital ships
USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) and
USNS Comfort (T-AH-20)) and can be easily identified by the blue and gold horizontal bands around the top of their central smokestack.
Special missions
Military Sealift Command's Special Mission Program controls 24 ships that provide operating platforms and services for unique US military and federal government missions. Oceanographic and hydrographic surveys, underwater surveillance, missile flight data collection and tracking, acoustic research and submarine support are just a few of the specialized services this program supports. Special mission ships work for several different U.S. Navy customers, including the
Naval Sea Systems Command and the
Oceanographer of the Navy.
Prepositioning
Military Sealift Command's Prepositioning Program is an element in the US's triad of power projection into the 21st century - sea shield, sea strike and sea basing. As a key element of sea basing, afloat prepositioning provides the military equipment and supplies for a contingency forward deployed in key ocean areas before it is needed. The MSC Prepositioning Program supports the US Army, Navy,
Air Force and
Marine Corps and the
Defense Logistics Agency. Prepositioning ships remain at sea, ready to deploy on short-notice the vital equipment, fuel and supplies to initially support military forces in the event of a contingency. The Prepositioning Program consists of 34 at-sea ships plus 2 aviation support ships kept in reduced operating status.
Sealift
The mission of the Sealift Program is to provide ocean transportation to the Department of Defense by meeting its
sealift requirements in peace, contingency, and war with quality, efficient cost effective assets and centralized management. This is achieved through the use of commercial charter vessels,
Large Medium Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Ships,
Fast Sealift Ships, and the Maritime Administration's
Ready Reserve Force. Sealift is divided into three separate project offices: Tanker Project Office, Dry Cargo Project Office and the Surge Project Office.
Gallery
See also
★
List of Military Sealift Command ships
★
Power projection
★
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
References
★
Military Sealift Command official website.
★
One Hundred Years in the Making: The Birth of Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) by Salvatore R. Mercogliano
29 November 2000.
★
US Maritime Service Veterans
العربية
ä¸å›½
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिनà¥à¤¦à¥€
Italiano
日本語
Português
РуÑÑкий
Español
