delivered Air Force munirions ro distant Diego Ga rcia in the Indian Ocean and a fleer hospiral ro rhe US naval base ar Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when Taliban and al Qaeda derainees were firsr moved rhere.
eighty percent of MSC's wo rkforce serves ar sea, from US Civil Service mariners and commercial mariners ro US Navy sailors and reservisrs. The Co mmand has fewer than 700 acrive-du ty Navy billets. Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force ships provide combar logisrics supporr ro carrier and amphibious srrike groups. They can replenish food, fuel, and equipm ent ar sea ro keep Navy combar forces on srarion and prepared ro face any mission. Special Mission ships charr rhe sea floor, conduct undersea surveillance, lay and repair undersea cables, moniror srraregic missile lau nches, and supporr deep-submergence vessels and special operarions experimenrarion. Preposirioning ships place combar vehicles, equ ipment, and fuel in rhree srraregic locario ns aro und rhe world, ready ro deploy Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy cargo ro any region for any conringency. Supporting the Military in the Twenty-first Century parr of irs Preposirioning Program, MSC ships remain on srario n in rhe Medirerranean Sea and easrern Arlan ric Ocean, rhe Indian Ocean, and rhe wesrern Pacific Ocean, ready ro deliver equipment, fuel, and supplies ro supporr US milirary forces in rhe evenr of a major rhearer war, hum anirarian operarion, or orher contingency. Today, alrhough major efforrs in rhe fighr againsr rerrorism are focused on Afghanisran and Iraq, MSC is in place ro supporr milirary operarions, no matrer where rhey may be needed around the globe. After 9/11 , MSC immediarely acrivared USNS Comfort, one of rhe Navy's rwo hospiral ships, ro provide on-sire relief for emergency workers ar Gro und Zero New York C ity. In mid-2002, rhey
Iraq War When rhe Unired Srares 111vaded Iraq in March 2003, rhe milirary needed rremendous amounrs of combar vehicles, helicoprers, supplies, and ammunition ro get ro the orher side of rhe globe, and it was MSC ships rhar delivered rhese voluminous cargoes from US and European ports ro Kuwair. From January ro May, 2003, MSC delivered 25.9 million square feer of combar cargo for US forces
heaviesr day of shipping came in March 2003 when 167 ofMSC's 214 acrive ships were directly supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. 1his efforr included rhe hospiral ship USNS Comfort, which had deployed ro rhe Indian Ocean ro provide medical care for wounded US soldiers, Iraqi civilians, and prisoners of war. Continuing Operations From January ro June 2004, MSC delivered nearly ren million square feer of equipmenr and replacemenr combar vehicles to Kuwai r. More rhan 14 million square feer of US fo rces gea r was scheduled for rerurn ro rhe Unired Srares, bur rhar shipment was placed on hold as milirary acrivity in Iraq increased. By rl1e end of June 2005, rhe Command had supported rhree major
USNS Supply (right) at sea bunkering USS George Washington.
involved in rhe war in Iraq. 1 his included Navy combar ships ar sea, which received nearly 200,000 pallers of munirions and food from rhe combar logisrics ships of MSC's Naval Fleer Auxiliary Force. Meanwhile, MSC rankers and fleet replenishment oilers were busy delivering 378 million gallons of fuel for the war effort. In one atypical operation, an MSC fleer replenishmenr oiler resupplied a US submarine on extended patrol and running short of food and consumables. The MSC crewmembers broke down pallets of goods and loaded rhem into mail pouches to fir through the submarine's harches. The
troop rotarions into and our of Iraq and continuous re-supply of US forces in Afghanisran. This involved carrying more than 77 million square feet of milirary cargo ro pons aro und the world. To pur rhis number in perspecrive, 77 million square feet is equivalent ro more rhan 8 10,000 mid-size sport urility vehicles. Lined up, bumper-co-bumper, on the highways of America, rhose SUVs would stretch from New York C ity to Las Vegas. During rh e same period, MSC delivered more rhan 7.2 billion gallons of fuel. As rhe war in Iraq conrinues, MSC remains a key player in rhe ongoing war