Army Reserve Soldiers plan port operations

Photo By Sgt. Jennifer Osborn | U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers of the 743rd Transportation Company, Boston, Mass., guide a Humvee into position during training at the Big Logistics-Over-The-Shore, West exercises at Alameda, Calif., July 31, 2015. Big Logistics Over-The-Shore, West is an annual, Army Reserve, multi-echelon functional exercise designed for transportation units and sustainment commands to hone their expertise in Logistics Over-the-Shore operations from July 25 to Aug. 7, 2015. More than 750 Soldiers are participating this year. The exercise has grown into a multi-component exercise involving elements from the active component Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Maritime Administration are conducting operations at three Bay-Area California training locations: Camp Parks, Alameda Point, and Military Ocean Terminal-Concord (MOTCO).  

ALAMEDA, CA, UNITED STATES

08.01.2015

Story by Sgt. Jennifer Osborn 

311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command   

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Hawaii-based U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers from the 302nd Transportation Terminal Battalion conducted mission command, planned port operations, and created training sets for subordinate units during annual training from July 25 to Aug. 7, 2015.

The Big Logistics-Over-The-Shore, West exercise unites Army Reserve Soldiers from Hawaii, Washington, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Georgia, California and Puerto Rico to conduct fixed port and Logistics-Over-The-Shore operations.

At Alameda Point, more than three hundred Soldiers from various Army Reserve units trained with heavy equipment, prioritized and delivered supplies, ran-through other port operations and responded to earthquake and fire drills. Soldiers honed their skills during a myriad of controlled scenarios as a team in situations similar to what they would face during a real-world mission. The 302nd TTB can distribute supplies to sustain forces in just about any austere environment.

Maj. Sean Sherwood, 302nd TTB battalion commander, explained that training at Alameda Point gives Soldiers experience on a real port with large crane ships. He said sleeping on an auxiliary crane ship and working aboard boats and in tents gives Soldiers deployment-like mindset for a humanitarian or disaster relief assistance mission or in a combat zone.

“Even if we have port security provided by the local civilians who are not military, we still have an inherent responsibility in protecting our Soldiers,” said Sherwood. “Our [security staff] is getting real world and exercise training.”

“In the real world, you cannot show force to successfully integrate with a host country to be able to work with them and trust they will assist in providing security,” said Sherwood.

Soldiers conducted drivers training, transferred shipping containers from the Army’s Landing Craft Utility 2000 boats across several Navy crane ships, and faced mock protesters. Sherwood said in these exercises, leaderships identified setbacks and created solutions to avoid hiccups in real-life situations.

“It causes the staff and the commanders to think about the perception that people may have of us at the port and how we are going to react,” said Sherwood. “What we have learned here is going to help us not only during wartime but also for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief if we’re ever called upon.”

• Date Taken: 08.01.2015
• Date Posted: 08.12.2015 00:00
• Story ID: 172872
• Location: ALAMEDA, CA, US