Marines ensure everything is in check before deployment

Photo By Cpl. Andre Dakis | U.S. Marines assigned to Force Reconnaissance Platoon, Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), fast-rope from a SH-60 Seahawk assigned to Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 4, onto a ship while conducting Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) drills in the Atlantic Ocean, May 12, 2015, as part of PHIBRON-MEU Integrated Training (PMINT). PMINT is a joint training event the 26th MEU, supporting elements and PHIBRON 4 are conducting in preparation for their deployment to the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility later this year. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andre Dakis/26th MEU Combat Camera/Released)  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

05.21.2015

Story by Cpl. Joshua Brown 

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)     

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – The ability to receive a mission with a moment’s notice and execute it successfully as fast as possible is the bread and butter of expeditionary forces. Making this possible takes training, planning and a dedication to logistics.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force capable of responding to the wide array of military operations. An essential piece of the MAGTF is troop movement. There are multiple pieces involved in the movement of troops from a potential and ready state at home to a kinetic and operating state abroad.

The Marines responsible for the logistics and execution of these troop movements provide ease of progression for the personnel in the MEU and its supporting elements.

The path to an operation begins with a task and its requirements. This information is passed from Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM) to a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and subsequently tasked to a unit or series of units.

“They provide us with a basic location,” said Lance Cpl. Seth J. Mitchell, a MAGTF planner with the 26th MEU and a Charlotte, N.C., native. “We send back the number of assets we have available to provide for the task.”

Information provided back to a MEF establishes a baseline for the troop and equipment allocations necessary for that missions’ demands.
“They task down to the individual unit, and if we can fill the requirements we’ll respond to the request,” said Mitchell.

MAGTF planners with the MEU reply to the higher command’s call. From there embarkation specialists work with the units responsible for the mission to coordinate who, what, when, where and how all troops and equipment are moved to their destination.

Embarkers coordinate with the supporting elements; in the MEU’s case Battalion Landing Team 2/6, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 26, to maintain accountability of assets and determine the details of movements.

“We make the load plans for cargo and track its movement from ship to shore,” said Lance Cpl. Ryan C. Scheuer, an embark clerk with the 26th MEU and a Buffalo, N.Y., native. “The ship’s combat cargo Marines use our load plan to unload LCUs (landing craft units), LCACs (landing crafts, air cushion) and stage the cargo on ship.”

Depending on the task at hand, either the unit responsible for a mission or a supporting unit provides the required modes of transportation. For ship to shore movement the MEU utilizes LCACs and LCUs provided by the PHIBRON. Aircraft are used for movements of greater range.

The 26th MEU works with PHIBRON 4, a Navy unit comprised of three ships, the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), USS Arlington (LPD 21) and USS Oak Hill (LSD 51).

“We coordinate with Marines working in the combat cargo section on ship,” said Scheuer. “They organize equipment on ship based on our load plans, so communication with the Navy side is important when moving Marines and heavy equipment.”

MEU and PHIBRON personnel work together to ensure mission success and expand their capabilities in doing so.

“It truly is a blue-green team,” said Maj. Brock A. Houghton, the assistant air officer for the 26th MEU and a Los Angeles native. “We can’t move from ship to ship without coordinating with the navy to determine the conditions and the deck-cycles onboard for operations.”

The MEU needs the PHIBRON, and vice versa, to remain fully operational while deployed.

Sea craft offers a limited range for the movement of troops. Tiltrotor craft and harriers provide greater diversity for operations. Having air movement capabilities ensures troops can get to points of friction at distances greater than those offered via sea and afford a ship to ship or ship to shore insertion in a broader capacity.

“We bring more aircraft onboard and increase the amount we can move during operations,” said Houghton.

Dependent on mission requirements, naval vessels and aircraft can take the lead in a troop movement with Marines supporting their mission.

“The supporting and supported roles are likely to switch dependent on the mission at hand, so it’s important when we communicate and work with the Navy,” said Houghton. “We need them to get things done.”

Both the Marine Corps and the Navy bring distinct capabilities forward. The interaction and cooperation between the MEU and the PHIBRON is important to ensure all movements succeed and enable mission success. Planning and coordinating troop movements is an important piece of this, engaging both parties to determine the details of an operation and ultimately ensure everything and everyone arrives at its destination ready to perform the mission.

Planning for the next major training events, Amphibious Ready Group-MEU Exercise and Composite Unit Training Exercise is already in place and are slated to be conducted next month. The movement of troops and equipment will continue to be an important part of the exercises and missions as they prepare for deployment.

• Date Taken: 05.21.2015
• Date Posted: 05.21.2015 16:45
• Story ID: 164146
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US
• Hometown: BUFFALO, NY, US
• Hometown: CHARLOTTE, NC, US
• Hometown: LOS ANGELES, CA, US