Foreign supply officers thrive in coveted logistics support posts

Navy Supply Corps Newsletter, July-August, 2004 by Ron Flanders

LCDR Carl Taylor and LT Ricardo Morcillo wear different uniforms, speak different languages, and hail from different hemispheres. But aside from being supply officers, the Brit and the Brazilian have one major thing in common. They both arrive at work each day with a smile on their face. That's because they are doing their "dream jobs," and they didn't even need to win a reality TV show to get them.

Taylor, a 20-year veteran of the Royal Navy, is the director of Fleet and Industrial Supply Center San Diego's Logistics Support Center and director of its Naval Base San Diego site, a two-year tour that places the supply needs of scores of ships and submarines squarely on his shoulders. It's a gargantuan responsibility, but the tour will prepare him nicely for his next post. Taylor's interaction with the fleet, especially the carrier force, will help him as the Royal Navy modernizes with bigger decked carriers.

Morcillo was handpicked by the Brazilian CNO for his two-year tour of duty as the Logistics Support Center's assistant director. Under the Personnel Exchange Program (PEP), the U.S. Navy swaps Supply Corps officers with Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom. American SUPPOs, mostly at the lieutenant and lieutenant commander levels, go to their countries for two years, and their officers come to the United States. At FISC San Diego, officers from the United Kingdom and Brazil have worked in some capacity for more than two decades.

For these officers, working at the LSC comes with a tremendous learning curve. Not only do they have to learn a new supply organization, but they also have to take a crash course in American Navy 101.

"When you get here, you're starting with a blank piece of paper. You have to learn the rank structure, where the guys go to get trained, where is their accommodation, where are all the bases in the States?" said Taylor. "Then you get to the LSC operation. Obviously, I knew it would be on a much bigger scale than the United Kingdom, but even so, it surprised me when I got here. Because of the Navy's global reach, the support infrastructure that is required is huge. More people, more equipment, more touch points. And, I like the opportunity to integrate fully with the support effort here at the waterfront."

The partnership between the U.S. Navy Supply Corps and its foreign counterparts is a win-win situation for all parties involved. Not only does the officer gain unique career experience, but the country that sends its officers to FISC San Diego also benefits. The LSC position puts Morcillo, a shining star in the Brazilian Supply Corps, on the career fast track, and he will have the ear of the leadership when he returns.

"When I leave here, I have to prepare a final report, then deliver a briefing to our [Naval Supply Systems Command equivalent] admiral. Wholesale changes are hard to make, but our admirals will be listening to me when I get back. Our leadership wants to know how the logistics support is done here, and I think they will try to incorporate some of the little things," Morcillo said.

Upon his return, Morcillo will be stationed at the Brazilian equivalent of either NAVSUP, a FISC, or an LSC for six years, giving the Brazilian navy benefit for their investment.

The return home to their navies, though, is something neither Taylor nor Morcillo want to ponder right now. One big reason--their families are enjoying this tour even more than they are.

"My wife wants me to leave the Royal Navy and join the U.S. Navy," Taylor laughed.

"We feel fortunate to be here. My son is in a good high school, my daughter loves her preschool, and my wife loves it too. The climate is fantastic. And it's not just the beaches. Here you can say, 'I'm going to have a barbecue in three weeks time.' You can't do that in the United Kingdom, because you don't know if it is going to be raining, sleeting or snowing."

Taylor and his children have even taken up surfing near their Coronado home, something you can't learn very easily in England.

Morcillo is no less enthusiastic about San Diego or its climate, although he admits that San Diego beaches are nowhere near the caliber of his native Brazil.

While most people assume because he is Brazilian that he loves soccer, Morcillo has become an NBA junkie, watching one or two basketball games a night. He adds that he, too, is in the same boat when it comes to his wife. "She doesn't want to come back to Brazil. We have made great friends here, and it is going to be very hard to say good-bye."

For now, the two foreign SUPPOs are savoring each day, gaining valuable experience for their careers. Both credit the Sailors at the LSC for helping ease the transition from their navies into the FISC San Diego organization. And both say they wish their stays could be a little bit longer.

"I have always wanted to spend some time abroad living in the United States," Morcillo said. "It's been a dream come true for me."