Operation Atlantic Resolve called on Military Sealift Command, in March, to charter American Roll-on Roll-Off Carrier (ARC) ship MV Endurance to load Army cargo at the Port of Beaumont, Texas in support of 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division’s deployment to Europe.
Twenty-one civilian mariners assigned to MV Endurance, along with civilians and military personnel from the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, provided integrated and synchronized support to MSC’s Lead Logistics Planner, Marine Transportation Specialist Anthony Rothgeb. Together, working as one team, they toiled tirelessly around the clock to meet the ship’s deadline of loading 1,333 pieces of critical U.S. Army cargo that included Army tanks, self-propelled artillery, armored personnel carriers, and support vehicles.
Finishing its on-load in record time, MV Endurance set sail for Europe on March 20, with more than 11 million tons of critical supplies expected to sustain the brigade throughout the duration of its rotational deployment.
Leading the way throughout MV Endurance’s 18-day voyage to Europe were two female Reserve Tactical Advisors (TACADS), LCDR Fionna Boyle and ENS Rosvelly Medina. “TACADs embark Navy vessels under operational control of Military Sealift Command as advisors to the ship’s master and act as a liaison between MSC ashore personnel, Maritime Administration (MARAD), and Navy contingency operations," Boyle said.
“Although not all TACADs have the same experience of civilian mariners, all TACADs do possess the military background to seamlessly align on hire commercial vessels with the needs and expectations of the US military,” Medina said.
Medina walks away from her first deployment as a TACAD with a new found appreciation for logistics supply. “The US surface supply chain is more than just sea power; it is the lifeline of the US military, both home and abroad, at war and at peace.”
TACADs fulfill their Navy reserve commitment by gaining real world experience, Boyle said. They are a part of the Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command’s Strategic Sealift Officer program. Navy female reservists, like Boyle and Medina, make up a small percentage of the total program of 2,133 reservists, at just 14 percent.
In 2017, MSC created its TACAD program, which uses Navy Reserve officers who are licensed mariners in their civilian jobs, to provide training and guidance to the officers of MSC vessels on how to operate in a hostile environment. “Under MSC’s operational control, TACADs provide the best use for their training as both Navy officers and licensed merchant marine officers,” Boyle said.
A native of Doylestown, Pa., Boyle holds a U.S. Coast Guard License for Master 1600 Gross Registered Tonnage, Chief Mate Unlimited Tonnage, while simultaneously holding the rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. From 2007 to 2021, as a licensed deck officer, she sailed in deep waters with the Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc.’s tanker fleet, delivering crude oil and petroleum products in the Alaska and Gulf of Mexico trades as well as ports in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. In conjunction with her commercial sailing experience, she has completed six years of military training, special work, and mobilizations. For the last 15 years, she has served with the U.S. Navy Reserve, Strategic Sealift Officer Program (SSOP).
Born and raised in New York City, Medina joined the United States Navy in 2008 after graduating John Jay College of Criminal Justice. For the next 12 years, she served in the enlisted ranks as a Master-at-Arms, responsible for the Navy's security force. MAs play an essential Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection and Law Enforcement role at shore and at sea for all Navy fleets. During her enlistment, she served during Operations Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In 2020, she was commissioned as a Limited Duty Officer (LDO) with the US Navy Reserves. As a Security LDO by trade, she serves primarily as a TACAD for MSC Headquarters in Norfolk, Va. LDOs perform tasks similar to those of warrant officers (WO). However, the formal definition and differences are subtle, focusing on the degree of authority, leadership, and level of responsibility, as well as the breadth of required expertise.
For the last four years, Rothgeb has been the lead logistics planner in charge of MSC’s office at the Port of Beaumont in Texas. He is responsible for all of the command’s load operations, along with managing all canal transits of both MSC and MSC chartered vessels.
MV Endurance is one of the largest vessels in the global feet with a 320 metric ton stern ramp, main deck maximum height of 25 feet and 262,252 square feet of military useful capacity. The vessel is one of five ARC vessels certified to carry V-22s as well as CH-47s in sealift configuration.
Since 2014, U.S. Army Europe and Africa has led the Department of Defense’s Operation Atlantic Resolve land efforts by rotating units based in the U.S. to Europe. There are four types of U.S. Army Atlantic Resolve rotations – armored, aviation, sustainment task force and division headquarters. Rotational units conduct bilateral, joint and multinational training events across more than a dozen countries.
MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish the U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea ships around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.