San Diego, Calif. --
Marines and sailors from 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, I Marine Expeditionary Force and the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group-3, Commander, Third Fleet, will be conducting Maritime Prepositioning Force training at Naval Base Coronado and Silver Strand, June 13-18.
Marines and sailors from Combat Logistics Regiment-17, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, USNS Lummus, USNS Curtiss, and Naval Beach Group-1 will command and control an Arrival and Assembly Operations (AAOG) and Beach Operations Group to offload approximately 100 key vehicles and equipment vital to responding to a crisis, including Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV), 7-Ton trucks, and approx. 50 supply containers.
MPF remains a cost-effective, proven, and relevant capability for use in responding to crises overseas. It is consistent with “Forward...From the Sea” and significantly increases responsiveness to contingencies and improves operational flexibility for combat, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance operations.
The training runs in conjunction with the on-going multinational amphibious exercise Dawn Blitz 2013 off the Southern California coast, June 11-28.
Dawn Blitz 2013 is a culminating exercise in a continuum of training designed to test the Navy and Marine Corps abilities in the planning and execution of complex amphibious operations from ship-to-shore. The initial, synthetic-based portion occurred Jan. 28-31, 2013, aboard the USS Boxer and at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The live portion includes more than 5,000 U.S. Marines, sailors and coalition forces from Canada, Japan, and New Zealand; as well as military observers from seven countries.
MEDIA ACCESS: Media are requested to meet at the gate immediately south of the Naval Amphibious Base main gate, located at the cross streets of Orange Avenue and Tarawa Road at 11:30 a.m. on June 13. Please RSVP NLT 8 a.m. on June 13.
Local citizens should be advised that there will be increased military vehicle traffic along the Silver Strand traveling to and from local military installations.
DOWNLOAD HD VIDEO AND PHOTOS HERE: www.dvidshub.net/feature/DawnBlitz
MEDIA CONTACT INFO:
1st Lt. Garth Langley, public affairs officer, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) is a strategic power projection capability that combines the capacity and flexibility of prepositioned sealift with the speed of strategic airlift. Strategically placed around the globe, MPF supports the Strategic Mobility Enhancement initiative and national military strategy through forward presence and crisis response. These ships are organized into three Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadrons (MPSRONS): MPSRON-1, based in the Mediterranean; MPSRON-2, based at Diego Garcia; and MPSRON-3, based in the Guam-Saipan area. MPSRONS are interoperable, with ships from one MPSRON interchangeable with ships from any other. MPF is flexible (from a Marine Expeditionary Unit to a Marine Expeditionary Force), employing from one to all thirteen ships (fourteen when the first of three funded MPF(E) ships is fielded in FY00). When needed, these ships move to a crisis region and offload in a benign environment either in port or offshore. Offloaded equipment and supplies are then married up with Marines arriving at nearby airfields. The end result is a combat ready Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) rapidly established ashore with minimal reception facilities. MPF is especially responsive to regional crises or natural disaster relief. MPF forces provide enough equipment and supplies to support a MAGTF (MEB is standard for MPF support) for its first 30 days of operations. MAGTF deployment planning and training is conducted by the Commanding Generals, II MEF (MPSRON 1); I MEF (MPSRON 2); and III MEF (MPSRON 3). The Commander, Marine Corps Logistics Bases, Albany, Georgia is responsible for attainment, prepositioning and maintenance of the Marine Corps supplies and equipment on each MPSRON. This is accomplished in conjunction with the Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEFs) through a maintenance cycle program conducted at the Blount Island facility in Jacksonville, Florida. The MPF ships are civilian owned and operated under long-term charter to the Military Sealift Command (MSC).
Eleven MSC prepositioning ships are especially configured to transport supplies for the U.S. Marine Corps. Known as the Maritime Prepositioning Force, the ships were built or modified beginning in the mid-1980s and are forward-deployed to the western Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The ships contain nearly everything the Marines need for initial military operations -- from tanks and ammunition to food and water and from fuel to spare parts and engine oil.
View complete Press Release:
13-005- DAWN BLITZ MPF OFFLOAD 2013.pdf