United States Transportation Command

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., (USTCNS) --- The current rotation of troops and materiel from Iraq and Afghanistan is possible in large measure because of continuing cooperation between commercial and military partners, according to Lt. Gen. Gary Hughey, deputy commander, U.S. Transportation Command.

Hughey told members of the AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department (MTD) that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff refers to the rotation as the greatest military logistic feat in history. "The MTD and its 29 international affiliates and network of 24 port maritime councils in the United States and Canada have partnered with U.S. military forces to ensure a strong sealift operations strategy."

USTRANSCOM, through its component commands -- Air Mobility Command, Military Sealift Command and Surface Deployment and Distributions Command -- is operating in 80-100 nations each week, with $55.8 billion in organic assets, $1.4 billion in infrastructure, 131 ships and $7.5 billion in services annually, according to Hughey.

"The ships operated by Military Sealift Command would not be able to sail if not for the Maritime Trade Department," Hughey told MTD members meeting March 4 in Hollywood, Fla.

"Operating across the Atlantic to Northern Europe and through the Mediterranean and Black seas, more than 260 ships created a steel bridge that, laid bow to stern, would have stretched for nearly 34 miles," according to Hughey.

During Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, USTRANSCOM, through its component commands and commercial partners, has moved 2.1 million tons of cargo moved by sea. That includes about 208,000 containers, about 9,000 of which contained of high explosive ammunition delivered to Iraq.

According to Hughey, these accomplishments were made possible due to the hand-in-hand cooperation between Scott AFB, Ill.-based USTRANSCOM and its partners.

"We and our partners have stepped off smartly and identified top focus areas to determine how best to ensure the distribution system performance meets or exceeds the warfighter's requirements." Hughey said. "The bottom line is, we're committed to taking full advantage of the business and financial practices more in step with the commercial sector."

Hughey expressed his thanks to MTD members, adding, "Our merchant mariners will go in harms way on a moments notice to maintain our warfighters anyplace, anytime, literally, carry forth the our nation's strength and resolve …for that I am grateful."

The MTD represents a spectrum of workers in the U.S. and Canadian maritime industry.

Merchant Marine - U.S. Military Partnership Enables
"Greatest Military Logistic Feat in History"

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Merchant Marine - U.S. Military Partnership Enables "Greatest Military Logistic Feat in History"

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Merchant Marine - U.S. Military Partnership Enables
"Greatest Military Logistic Feat in History"