MSC Far East reserve CO/XO conference
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (USTCNS) --- The convention and conference capital of the world was changed to a Military Sealift Command Office when MSC Far East sponsored its annual reserve commanding and executive officers conference here.
The conference brought Capt. Doug Harris, new commodore of Military Sealift Command, Far East, Yokohama, Japan, face to face with his reserve commanding and executive officers for the first time.
Harris set the tone of the conference during his opening remarks when he stressed the importance of supporting each unit and training all sailors to..."go anywhere in our (MSC Far East) area of responsibility and go to work on immediately upon arrival."
"I need to know how best to prepare your units to do your missions," Harris said.
The MSC Far East reserve units, attend weekend drills in the "heartland" of America and Southern California, and train for deployment to Japan, Korea and other Western Pacific areas.
As each command officer provided a unit update, it was quickly noted that no two units were the same.
Though many solutions were different, the central theme was training...training all sailors in all required reserve qualifications, but training in each deployment site to include host country language and customs.
Training support is amazing for MSC Far East reserve units. Due to the different locations, each commanding officer uses different approaches to develop support systems in each location.
One C.O. uses the local National Guard for weapons training another uses the local U. S. Army base. Another unit takes advantage of local university professors to teach Korean or Japanese political and social current event s just before annual training one of those areas. Still another unit uses local Coast Guard facilities for command and control training, along with damage control training.
"Military Sealift Command Republic of Korea reserve unit in Kansas City, Mo., will be deployed to a Korean port for annual training during an exercise," said Capt. Terry Conner, commanding officer of MSC reserve unit 218.
"Korea is in a unique situation due to an armistice vice a treaty. Because my unit sailors will be mobilized to Korea, weapons qualifications prior to mobilization are a critical survival skill.
"My unit in the past has done annual training to every location where we would be assigned if we were mobilized," said Cmdr. Steve Musser, commanding officer of MSC Western Pacific Unit 119. "We've been to Australia, Thailand and other places for exercises gaining valuable experience.
"Our mobilization assignments are Guam and Singapore. Those areas are already very well covered with MSC representation, so we train as the expeditionary MSC Far East unit," Musser explained. "My sailors and unit are trained to go anywhere, anytime assigned."
"Training is a most important element in our lives as navy reservists," said Capt. Reginald McKamie, commanding officer of Military Sealift Command Office, Korea 111 Dallas.
"My goal is to get the MSC sailors out of the reserve center for some valuable hands on training with real ships in real ports.
"We intend to get this real training by visiting and training at the Military Sealift Command Office at the port of Houston," McKamie stated.
An open discussion on needs was saved for the final day. There are always needs, some call them wish lists, but the MSC Far East reserve CO and XO's are training in different ways, in different places with one goal, one mission...to be trained and ready when ever called.
(FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND FAR EAST)
The conference brought Capt. Doug Harris, new commodore of Military Sealift Command, Far East, Yokohama, Japan, face to face with his reserve commanding and executive officers for the first time.
Harris set the tone of the conference during his opening remarks when he stressed the importance of supporting each unit and training all sailors to..."go anywhere in our (MSC Far East) area of responsibility and go to work on immediately upon arrival."
"I need to know how best to prepare your units to do your missions," Harris said.
The MSC Far East reserve units, attend weekend drills in the "heartland" of America and Southern California, and train for deployment to Japan, Korea and other Western Pacific areas.
As each command officer provided a unit update, it was quickly noted that no two units were the same.
Though many solutions were different, the central theme was training...training all sailors in all required reserve qualifications, but training in each deployment site to include host country language and customs.
Training support is amazing for MSC Far East reserve units. Due to the different locations, each commanding officer uses different approaches to develop support systems in each location.
One C.O. uses the local National Guard for weapons training another uses the local U. S. Army base. Another unit takes advantage of local university professors to teach Korean or Japanese political and social current event s just before annual training one of those areas. Still another unit uses local Coast Guard facilities for command and control training, along with damage control training.
"Military Sealift Command Republic of Korea reserve unit in Kansas City, Mo., will be deployed to a Korean port for annual training during an exercise," said Capt. Terry Conner, commanding officer of MSC reserve unit 218.
"Korea is in a unique situation due to an armistice vice a treaty. Because my unit sailors will be mobilized to Korea, weapons qualifications prior to mobilization are a critical survival skill.
"My unit in the past has done annual training to every location where we would be assigned if we were mobilized," said Cmdr. Steve Musser, commanding officer of MSC Western Pacific Unit 119. "We've been to Australia, Thailand and other places for exercises gaining valuable experience.
"Our mobilization assignments are Guam and Singapore. Those areas are already very well covered with MSC representation, so we train as the expeditionary MSC Far East unit," Musser explained. "My sailors and unit are trained to go anywhere, anytime assigned."
"Training is a most important element in our lives as navy reservists," said Capt. Reginald McKamie, commanding officer of Military Sealift Command Office, Korea 111 Dallas.
"My goal is to get the MSC sailors out of the reserve center for some valuable hands on training with real ships in real ports.
"We intend to get this real training by visiting and training at the Military Sealift Command Office at the port of Houston," McKamie stated.
An open discussion on needs was saved for the final day. There are always needs, some call them wish lists, but the MSC Far East reserve CO and XO's are training in different ways, in different places with one goal, one mission...to be trained and ready when ever called.
(FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND FAR EAST)
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