A cargo ship full of gear to support an Army brigade is taking part in a training exercise drawing about 600 military personnel to Naval Magazine Indian Island.
A joint logistics over the shore (JLOTS) exercise coinciding with the regional Cascadia Rising training takes place June 7-16 on Indian Island. Minimal highway vehicle traffic is expected, and regular maritime traffic patterns remain on Port Townsend Bay, according to Sheila Murray, Navy Region Northwest spokesperson, although area residents should expect days with a lot of activity.
CASCADIA RISING
Cascadia Rising is an international, multi-agency training exercise designed to simulate emergency field response operations following a major Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and tsunami affecting the Puget Sound region. One of the primary goals is to train and test a community approach to complex disaster operations as a joint team, according to a press release from the U.S. Transportation Command.
JLOTS is the process of loading and unloading ships without port facilities, so that equipment and cargo can be moved from ship to shore at inadequate or damaged ports or over an undeveloped beach. In the Cascadia Rising training scenario, it is expected that severe damage to existing ports, airports, roads and bridges around Puget Sound would require the implementation of JLOTS capabilities to establish supply lines for life-saving and life-supporting response efforts.
A JLOTS exercise was conducted on Port Townsend Bay in 2005.
“The Joint Logistics Over the Shore exercise is an outstanding demonstration of how military personnel and equipment can be used for humanitarian aid efforts both at home and abroad. I’m proud of the Seabees and other personnel whose ‘can do’ attitude makes events like this a success. Their integration with Army and Military Sealift Command personnel show how different elements of the service can come together in a time of need like the one presented in the Cascadia Rising exercise,” said Cmdr. Nick Vande Griend, commanding officer for Naval Magazine Indian Island.
USNS BOB HOPE
The 951-foot USNS Bob Hope is a non-combatant roll-on/roll-off vessel crewed by U.S. civilian mariners under the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. Ships of this class are used to pre-position tanks, trucks and other wheeled vehicles, and supplies needed to support an Army heavy brigade.
The Bob Hope has been at Indian Island for some weeks. The 689-foot USNS Amelia Earhart arrived at Indian Island June 3, but is not part of the JLOTS exercise, Murray said. The Amelia Earhart is a cargo ship for ammunition, food, repair parts, stores and small quantities of fuel.
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Source: Ptleader
