MSCPAC Reservists Complete Pacific Fury Exercise

CA, UNITED STATES

02.12.2021

Story by Sarah Cannon 

Military Sealift Command Pacific

Navy Reservists from Military Sealift Command completed the recent Pacific Fury exercise in San Diego.

Eleven MSC reservist, nine from Military Sealift Command Pacific Headquarters Unit, participated in a week of simulated, contingency scenarios during the “Table Top” exercise. The exercise focused on a simulated war scenario, with MSC coordinating combat logistics services to Navy forces. The reservists served as watch standers and as liaisons between MSCPAC and Commander, THIRD Fleet, and Commander, Pacific Fleet.

According to Lt. Bryan Ross, MSCPAC HQ Unit’s, administration officer, exercises like Pacific Fury provide an ideal training environment for members of the unit to learn, ask questions and interact with civilian team members within MSC, and with fleet commands such as THIRD Fleet, who they would work with in a real operation.

“An exercise, like the one we just completed, gives us a better understanding of what goes into an operation,” explained Ross. “We worked with a lot of different people and departments, and we were able to see how they do business and provide services and it gave us a better understanding of how we need to work with them to make our piece of an operation work smoothly, seamlessly and quickly. When the fleet asks for this or that, we are able to get them what they need, and we can understand how to connect the dots and make it happen.”

For reservists, coming into an already existing team, such as MSCPAC’s Operations Department, can be challenging. Not being a part of the day to day rhythm, or understanding the process by which the team does business, means a learning curve for the reservist, but it is something they, as reservists anticipated and were ready to tackle; something they strive for, as their goal is to be ready to step into an active role on day one of an operation.

“Communication was a challenge,” said Ross. “Information flows down, and you have to figure out how to get it, where it needs to go. Communication is always an issue with these kinds of exercises, and we understand that going in. We have to constantly adapt to the changing environment and to work with the existing team, and not against it.”

As the reservists look forward to ending their support of Pacific Fury, they admit the they are walking away with a lot of lessons learned and an appreciation for how multiple commands and departments come together to make a Navy operation work and succeed.

“Overall, I feel that we walk-out of something like Pacific Fury with a better understanding of how the fleet works, and how MSC works in a conflict,” said Ross. “Overall, I think this was a good experience. This was the perfect way to figure out what works and what doesn’t work, and to improve on it for future operations.”

Following completion of the exercise, Capt. Kendal Bridgewater, Military Sealift Command Pacific’s commanding officer, took a few moments to recognize the MSCPAC HQ Unit’s hard work and dedication to the team.

“Having our Reservists here, participating alongside our active duty and civilian personnel in this exercise, is always a great opportunity for us to learn from each other and for the MSCPAC team to identify and close any gaps in our operational model,” said Bridgewater. “Our Reservists commitment, professionalism and dedication to the Navy and to MSC are a great asset to us. An exercise like Pacific Fury, allows us to work together, to learn from each other, and to make us a more cohesive unit for future operations in support of our Navy. Job well done!”

Pacific Fury is one, in a series of training exercises that focus on joint training integration among U.S. forces. It was designed to exercise U.S. Pacific Command headquarters staff and command components in a real world, operational level of war scenario.

• Date Taken: 02.12.2021
• Date Posted: 02.12.2021 14:24
• Story ID: 389001
• Location: CA, US