Photo By LaShawn Sykes | BEAUMONT, Texas (April 8, 2022) – Military Sealift Command in March activated MV...... read more read more
BEAUMONT, Texas (April 8, 2022) – Military Sealift Command in March activated MV Cape Washington (T-AKR 9961) to load U.S. Army cargo at the Port of Beaumont in Texas and embarked two tactical advisors (TACADs) to oversee the voyage to Europe.
The 697-foot motor vessel loaded more than a dozen helicopters and 1,350 pieces of cargo that included a variety of tracked vehicles, Abrams and Paladins, wheeled vehicles, Humvees and trucks, and other equipment used to take part in Operation Atlantic Resolve in support of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division’s (stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.) deployment to Europe.
Since April 2014, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa has led the Department of Defense’s Atlantic Resolve efforts as part of a regular rotation of forces to support the United States’ commitment to NATO allies and partners.
Overseeing the four-and-a half day load was MSC’s Marine Transportation Specialist Anthony Rothgeb who serves as the MSC Atlantic (MSCLANT) representative stationed at the Port of Beaumont, located at the Army’s 842nd Transportation Battalion, which is also home to the U.S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. Because this was a monumental load, Rothgeb said, it required the expertise of SDDC’s entire team of active-duty, National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, civilians, and commercial partners to complete the tasking. “Being able to provide combat capability to the warfighter is crucial to warfighter readiness. The partnership between MSC and SDDC is key to providing U.S. Transportation the power to move critical Army cargo across the globe.”
For the sealift voyage to Europe, MSC embarked two TACADs aboard MV Cape Washington. U.S. Navy Reserve Strategic Sealift Officer (SSO) Lt. Chris George served as the lead tactical advisor and U.S. Navy Reserve Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) Lt. Kevin Jones served as the other TACAD support element. What’s unique about TACADs is they have a solid military background that allows them to interact with ease between the ship’s crews and the active duty military and the combatant fleet. “Strategic Sealift Officers are a good fit for sealift voyages because we have experience in the maritime industry as licensed mates and engineers, which not only gives us a better understanding of the ship’s operations but it also helps us to more easily integrate with the civilian crew as military personnel,” George said.
George went on to say that because this is not his first time deploying to Europe on a mission, he brings with him a wealth of lessons learned from the past. “My biggest lesson is knowing the importance of establishing communications, early and often, with the combatant fleet – knowing who to contact for coordinating escorts, port information, and even force protection is key to having a successful voyage.”
MSC initiated the TACAD program for its SSO community in 2017. All SSOs hold unlimited tonnage deck or engineering merchant marine licenses in addition to commissions in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
SSOs are a small community of around 2,000 reservists that are civilian merchant mariners who sail for both MSC and commercially and serve as subject matter experts in sealift, maritime operations and logistics.
SWOs are another talented group of officers who come with a unique set of skill sets, George said, as they can serve in every type of surface ship in the Navy. “SWOs like Jones bring a greater knowledge of the active component operations and mindset, which both balances and compliments the SSO’s knowledge.”
MSC’s Beaumont office has been solely run by Rothgeb since 2018. He is responsible for all of the command’s load operations, along with managing canal transits of both MSC and MSC chartered vessels. During fiscal year 2021, he oversaw 350,000 measurement tons of cargo loads and 11.3 million cubic feet of cargo moves, totaling more 10,000 pieces of cargo.
Located in Norfolk, MSCLANT’s mission is to exercise operation over MSC afloat forces that provide ocean transportation of equipment, fuel, supplies and ammunition in the Eastern Atlantic to sustain US forces worldwide. The command is represented by six geographic port offices. The Port of Beaumont is one; the other five are: Naval Weapons Station Earle, N.J., Charleston, S.C., Jacksonville (JAX), Fla., Port Canaveral, Fla., and Sunny Point, N.C.
| Date Taken: | 04.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2022 09:23 |
| Story ID: | 418114 |
| Location: | BEAUMONT, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 1,264 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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