USTRANSCOM tests reserve fleet

Thirteen military cargo ships from the East, West and Gulf coasts have activated as part of U.S. Transportation Command’s Turbo Activation Exercise Series.

Turbo Activation is a no-notice test of how well and how quickly the seven civilian companies who manage the ships can bring them from reduced operating status to full operating status within a specified period of time. USTRANSCOM conducts such exercises seven times each year.

USTRANSCOM initiated Turbo Activation 20 years ago to ensure the military ships could activate rapidly to support the worldwide deployment of military forces and equipment as well as initial resupply during the critical surge period of any contingency. In total, the reserve fleet consists of 46 Ready Reserve Force ships managed by the Maritime Administration and 14 Surge Sealift Fleet ships managed by USTRANSCOM’s Navy component, Military Sealift Command

For this week’s test, seven MSC ships and six MARAD are being activated, including six large medium speed roll-on roll off vessels, four fast sealift ships, two roll on roll off cargo ships and one roll on roll off container ship.

The ships, all part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, are based at ports in Maryland, South Carolina and Florida on the East Coast; Texas and Louisiana on the Gulf Coast; and Washington State on the West Coast.

“Turbo Activation is an important test of our nation’s ability to quickly respond to global contingency and humanitarian assistance requirements and support the U.S. military, around the world,” said Vice Adm. Andy Brown, USTRANSCOM’s deputy commander.

“The RRF and Surge Fleet ships and their civilian merchant mariners are vitally important Department of Defense assets, critical to national defense,” he said.

The exercise now underway will end between Aug. 20 and 23, dependent on individual vessels, and USTRANSCOM will evaluate the results once all vessels have returned to their homeport. Since the program began, the command has executed 258 activations averaging 13 vessels each year with a near perfect success rate.  Success is by measured ships achieving full activation, conducting at-sea operations and readiness testing of all cargo handling equipment.  

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