United States Transportation Command

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (USTCNS) --- U.S. Transportation Command, along with numerous agencies, participated in a Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS) exercise as part of exercise Native Atlas here this month.

More than 2500 military and civilian personnel, representing all U.S. forces and the U.S. Maritime Administration, were part of the exercise that highlighted the ability of the U.S. to project power from the sea and sustain forces on the ground. U.S. Central Command sponsored the exercise.

Executing a JLOTS operation is necessary when port facilities are non-existent, denied or inadequate for military operations.

In a JLOTS operation, equipment is moved from cargo ships anchored offshore to the shore using a variety of U.S. Navy and Army lighterage. Some equipment is taken to a 1261-foot, semi-permanent pier (known as an elevated causeway) that is constructed by Navy units. Rolling stock was moved directly to the beach.

During the JLOTS, 1258 pieces of equipment were moved from the Military Sealift Command ship USNS Seay.

USNS Seay, a large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off (or LMSR) ship is a noncombatant ship operated by a private company under contract to MSC. It has 387,600 square feet of cargo carrying capacity.

MSC is the Navy component to USTRANSCOM and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Also as part of the exercise, joint forces exercised strategic offloads of container systems and pumping of simulated fuel (fresh water) from ship to shore using the Navy's offshore petroleum discharge system. The simulated fuel was then moved to storage and distribution systems using the Army's inland petroleum distribution system.

Other MSC ships in the exercise included the tanker SS Mount Washington; crane ship SS Keystone State; and sea barge heavy lift ship SS Cape Mohican (all of which were activated from the U.S. Maritime's Ready Reserve Force) and MV Maersk Arizona a contracted container ship.

USTRANSCOM's air component, Air Mobility Command, headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., also participated in the exercise by contracting commercial airlift for more than 1500 military personnel.

The exercise was directed under the operational command of the 143d TRANSCOM, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in Orlando, Fla. commanded by Brig. Gen. William S. Crupe.

USTRANSCOM key participant in California exercise

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