JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Nov. 19, 2014) -- Army mariners
from the 8th Theater Sustainment Command shared their unique capability
and the joint and multi-national impact Army watercraft has across the
Pacific Theater with Under Secretary of the Army Brad R. Carson during
his tour of U.S. Army Vessel Lt. Gen. William B. Bunker (Logistic
Support Vessel 4) here, Saturday.
The U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility stretches 9,000 miles,
and more than one third of the region's 36 nations are small islands,
with the majority of the population living within 200 miles of the
coast. When it comes to flexible logistics for the region's joint and
multi-national forces, the theater's geography and size demand a team
effort maximizing and preparing every available transportation option.
The logistic support vessel, or LSV, that Carson toured is one of the
Pacific's 26 Army watercraft assets and its crew averages more than 210
days at sea per year, providing over-the-water transportation of
equipment and personnel to increase maneuverability and readiness
throughout the region.
The vessel's cargo deck is designed to hold any vehicle in the U.S. Army
inventory and comparable vehicles in sister services' and partner
nation militaries. The flat bottom boat can carry up to 15 M1 Abrams
main battle tanks, or 82 standard containers, which is the equivalent of
17 C-17 aircraft loads. The boat has both bow and stern ramps for
roll-on and -off operations and can beach itself to load or discharge
cargo over the shore, in as little as four feet of water.
The vessel and other Army watercraft assets provide capabilities that
enable access to unimproved ports in austere environments, a potentially
critical contribution during humanitarian assistance/disaster relief
operations.
In addition to routine personnel and equipment movement missions, LSV-4
also joined 22 other nations and sister service counterparts during the
world's largest international exercise, Rim of the Pacific 2014, playing
a major role in surface/vertical cargo lifts, casualty evacuation
training, and Logistics over the Shore operations.
Other Pacific-based Army watercraft elements are set to participate in
exercise Combined Joint Logistics Over the Shore 2015, and future
Pacific Pathways rotations, and are currently executing Pacific Utility
and Logistics Support Enabler-Watercraft II, or PULSE-W II, providing
flexible, cost-effective, and tailored cargo delivery options throughout
the region in support of joint and multinational exercises and
missions.
http://www.army.mil/article/138491/Army_mariners_highlight_capabilities__impact_in_Pacific_for_Under_SecArmy_Carson/
By 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs
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