Sealift

Maritime transportation of equipment and troops to sustain and augment military forces deployed overseas during war or peacetime. During wartime, as much as 95% of the equipment needed for fighting forces to operate at the battlefronts is transported by sea. Sealift has several key advantages over airlift, the other key method for transporting troops and materiel.

Unit for unit, ships involved in sealift have a greater capacity than transport aircraft. Ships can also preposition at a friendly port or at sea near an area of potential conflict. Furthermore, ships that travel in international waters do not require permission to operate from foreign governments.

In the United States, the Military Sealift Command (MSC) is responsible for all stages of sealift. Its responsibilities include planning, requisition of crews and ships, and execution of its duties in support of U.S. forces around the globe.

Strategies

The Military Sealift Command embraces three operational strategies in its mission of maritime transportation of military cargo in both peacetime and wartime. The first of these strategies is prepositioning, the strategic location of transport ships, manned with necessary logistical support, near a crisis area. A second strategy, surge shipping, is the transportation of urgently needed supplies and equipment, such as tanks and helicopters, in the critical early stages of a conflict. Sustainment shipping, the third strategy, provides a constant supply pipeline by transporting the weapons, food, and other equipment needed by forces in the field to sustain the conflict.

Force Structure and Size

The MSC, which employs roughly 7,500 personnel worldwide, is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has area commands in Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; Naples, Italy; and Yokohama, Japan. Most of its personnel are assigned to seagoing jobs, and approximately 4,700 are civilian employees of the federal government. MSC ships are crewed by civilians, but manpower may be augmented by naval reservists during wartime.

The Military Sealift Command currently operates about 120 ships worldwide, with an additional 100 ships in reserve status. These include government-owned ships and privately owned charters. In addition, the MSC also commands hospital ships, fast sealift ships, which transport armored equipment to combat theaters in minimal time, and maritime prepositioning ships, which are positioned at overseas strategic locations and contain equipment and supplies for the support of armed forces in areas of conflict.

The MSC also commands the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF), which deploys nearly 40 ships around the world in direct support of U.S. naval ships. The NFAF ships conduct towing and salvage operations in addition to their central responsibility of underway replenishment.

History

Maritime transportation of supplies and equipment in support of forces deployed overseas is as old as sailing itself. Ancient Egyptian vessels plied the Nile River, transporting troops and supplies in periods of external conflict and civil war. Roman galleys crossed the Mediterranean Sea, transporting diplomats, troops, and supplies to distant colonies. The conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 is a notable early example of a successful sealift operation.

In the 20th century, both World Wars saw sealift operations take the form of convoy systems to transport equipment and supplies to an embattled Europe. Despite threats from German Uboats, tens of millions of tons of supplies crossed the Atlantic. The U.S. island-hopping campaign against Japanese forces in the Pacific is an example of sealift operations on an epic scale. During World War II, the industrial might of the United States was transported across two oceans to vanquish two powerful, committed enemies.

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