Ships/Navy: Afloat Prepositioning Ship Program

Sea Power, Jan 2001

BRIEFING: An essential element in the U.S. Navy's "Forward ... From the Sea" strategy, the Military Sealift Command's Afloat Prepositioning Force (APF) began in the early 1980s to improve the delivery response time for urgently needed equipment and supplies to military theaters of operation. MSC's APF comprises 37 strategically located ships loaded with military equipment and supplies for the U.S. armed forces and the Defense Logistics Agency. Prepositioned assets are forward-deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, and at Guam and Saipan in the Pacific. Additionally, two aviation logistics support ships, SS Wright (T-AVB 3) and SS Curtiss (T-AVB 4)-based on the East and West Coasts of the United States, respectively-are part of the APF.

The Prepositioning Program continues a major expansion effort, a result of findings in the congressionally mandated Mobility Requirements Study conducted after the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s. The study's conclusion that the U.S. military had a major shortfall of prepositioning assets was subsequently confirmed in the Clinton administration's Bottom-Up Review (BUR) of U.S. defense policy. Two million square feet of prepositioning capacity will be added to the MSC fleet by 2002 with the addition of eight large, mediumspeed, roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) ships.

The APF is divided into three operational elements: Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) in support of the U.S. Marine Corps, Combat Prepositioning Ships (CPSs) in support of the U.S. Army, and Logistics Prepositioning Ships, (LPS) in support of the U.S. Navy, Defense Logistics Agency, and U.S. Air Force. The MPF, CPS, and LPS ships operate together in four different squadrons.

Maritime Propositioning Ships Squadron One (MPS-1)

Mediterranean Sea SS Sgt. Matej Kocak (MPF) MV 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo (MPF) SS Maj. Stephen W. Pless (MPF) SS Pfc. Eugene A. Obregon (MPF) MV Capt. Stephen L. Bennett (LPS) USNS Harry L. Martin (MPF(E))

Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadron Two (MPS-2)

Diego Garcia

MV American Cormorant (CPS) MV Strong Virginian (CPS) MV Buffalo Soldier (LPS) SS Green Valley (CPS) MV Green Harbour (CPS) MV Jeb Stuart (CPS) MV tst Lt. Alex Bonnyman (MPF) MV Pfc. William B. Baugh (MPF) SS Cape Jacob (LPS) MV Pvt. Franklin J. Phillips (MPF) MV Cpl. Louis J. Hauge Jr. (MPF) MV Pfc. James Anderson Jr. (MPF) USNS Henry J. Kaiser (LPS) SS Potomac (LPS) MV Maj. Bernard F. Fisher (LPS)

Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadron Three (MPS-3)

Guam/Saipan

MV Spec. 5 Eric G, Gibson (CPS) MV Lt. Col. Calvin P. Titus (CPS) SS Gopher State (CPS) MV Sgt. William R. Button (MPF) MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (MPF) MV Pfc. DeWayne T. Williams (MPF) MV ist Lt. Jack Lummus (MPF) SS Petersburg (LPS)

Afloat Propositioning Ships Squadron Four (APS-4)

Diego Garcia

USNS Gilliland (CPS) USNS Watson (CPS) USNS Sisler (CPS) USNS Bob Hope (CPS) USNS Dahl (CPS) USNS Red Cloud (CPS)