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Landing Support Marines from Combat Logistics Regiment (CLR) 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) ground guiding equipment during land-based Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) exercise with Marine Corps Logistics Command (LOGCOM) located at Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, Ga. The innovative exercise replicated the Arrival and Assembly Operations Element (AAOE) of the overall MPF construct.

Photo by US Marine Corps Photo by: Jen Napier

LOGCOM PROVIDES INNOVATIVE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY TO 2ND MARINE LOGISTICS GROUP FOR MARITIME PREPOSITIONING EXERCISE, 5 MAR 2021

23 Mar 2021 | Chris Shaw, G3/5 COMMSTRAT Marine Corps Logistics Command

Marines from Combat Logistics Regiment (CLR) 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) recently completed a first of its kind, land-based Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) exercise with Marine Corps Logistics Command (LOGCOM) located at Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, Ga.  The innovative exercise replicated the Arrival and Assembly Operations Element (AAOE) of the overall MPF construct.

CLR 27 provides command and control, administration, communications, food service, and services to the Marine Logistics Group (MLG) and serves as the Logistics Combat Element (LCE) headquarters for the MLG Forward in order to enable sustained logistical support to the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF).  An element of this includes the LCE AAOE who integrate with MPF ships at their ports of entry and other strategic storage locations around the world to offload, inspect and test Marine Corps assets to ensure they are ready for onward movement and integration into the fight.   

Opportunities to train to their mission essential tasks (METs) of providing amphibious and pre-positioning operation support are often infrequent and unreliable due to ship schedules and maintenance cycles.    Additionally, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and other constraints, their team’s II MEF exercise was also canceled, making short fuse, creative exercise planning a high priority for CLR-27.

Major Spencer Sweet, the Officer-In-Charge of the mission and Operations Officer for CLR 27 developed the plan leveraging previous tour experience and contacts with LOGCOM leadership.  Without a ship and far from the water, his plan leveraged equipment held in stores at Marine Force Storage Command (MFSC), 2nd Force Storage Battalion (FSB), and simulated various components of conducing a cave draw as well as MPF ship offload with specific focus on the AAOE portion of the operation. 

“MFSC’s location from our home station is close enough to be convenient, but also far enough to make us do the detailed planning required of a Deployment for Training.  "Knowing the equipment and how it is stored in the warehouses not much differently than ship or a cave, but more accessible made it an obvious idea to pursue”, said Sweet.  The MFSC storage concept, commonly known as “USS LOGCOM” is based largely on ship stowage and load-planning models coupled with state-of-the-art climate controlled receipt, storage and issue capabilities.

The exercise lasted approximately 12 days and consisted of a simulated ship offload and backload (from the warehouses) of approximately 160 pieces of equipment ranging from Civil Engineering Support Equipment (CESE) to some of the Marine Corps' most modernized weapon systems like the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).  Also included in the concept of operations was Joint Limited Technical Inspections of the equipment along with full command, control and communications (C2) nodes to monitor, track and trace the movement of equipment. 

Nearly 50 Marines from CLR 27 participated in the training; most of them junior in rank.  “The training scenario here at LOGCOM, unlike that of a ship or in the caves, is perfect for the younger Marines who have never done this before”, said Master Sergeant Timothy Brake, the Operations Chief for CLR 27.  “Here at MFSC, the equipment is stored and maintained in near perfect condition and not being bound to a ship’s schedule allows us to stop in the middle of the day, take an operational pause, do an after action style debrief real quick then get the young Marines back out to apply those AAR thoughts to make themselves and the operation more efficient”.  

Responsible for the deckplate management and care of the assets in storage at 2nd FSB is Staff Sergeant Mark Herman, Battalion Maintenance Chief.  “Just like our Care of Supplies in Stores (COSIS) process, these Marines from CLR 27 are getting to come out here, start up the equipment, move it outside, do a quick LTI of it to check over the operations, see the capability and any wear and tear and make sure it’s matches the correct condition code as listed in GCSS Marine Corps”, said Herman.  Sweet followed, “these are the same Marines who could be called upon to execute this exact scenario in a real world contingency.  

Underpinning LOGCOM’s enterprise mission to maximize the readiness of the Marine Corps is MFSC’s critical role to receipt, store, maintain and issue Marine Corps ground combat equipment so that when it is needed, there is a lethal guarantee it will shoot, move and communicate the way it is intended to.  The Marines of CLR 27 were able to see this first-hand and their efforts with this exercise have laid the foundation for the MEFs to seek additional opportunities with LOGCOM.

“Going through the steps to deploy from our home station, and having access to a large set of equipment to run this scenario made for a great opportunity to train our Marines in AAOE operations,” said Major Sweet.  “We were also able to expose the Marines to other mission essential LOGCOM operations and capabilities to include a tour of the Marine Depot Maintenance Command (MDMC) and show them first-hand how LOGCOM is implementing new technology as part of their storage and maintenance programs to increase readiness.  I see the potential and fully anticipate future iterations of training opportunities like this between LOGCOM and 2d MLG.”

“This low-cost, high-reward, easily repeatable exercise created a limited withdrawal plan which was mutually beneficial to both MFSC and CLR 27 while we both accomplished mission essential tasks for the Corps, said Col Wahlgren, Commander, MFSC.  “As the Marine Corps continues to lean into the changes brought forth by Force Design efforts and develop more agile ways of conducting operations, it is this sort of smart thinking, innovation and adaptability that will keep us ahead of the pacing threats we face”.


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