Marine logistics command strives for efficiency.

• Author: Ronis, Sheila R.

A continuous stream of equipment and supplies leaves the port of mount Island Command, in Jacksonville, Fla., to support Marine Corps operations around the world. In addition, equipment arrives from overseas conflicts to be repaired, reconstituted, regenerated or replaced.

"We preposition enough equipment and supplies on each squadron to support 14,403 Marines and Sailors for 30 days of sustained combat," said William H. (Chip) Newton, deputy director of Blount Island Command "When you combine the three squadrons you get a very formidable combat capability."

Blount Island Command focuses on the maintenance and support of all Maritime Pre-positioning Ships. It also provides technical assistance to Marine Expeditionary Force commanders for all aspects of planning and deployment.

Col. Carl D. Matter, commanding officer of Blount Island Command, said that "maritime pre-positioning allows us flexibility and permits us to project power during a crisis anywhere in the world. With the Third World in crisis situations and the global war on terrorism, that is essential."

Blount Island is a subordinate organization of the Marine Corps Logistics Command, headquartered in Albany, Ga. Led by Maj. Gen. Harold Mashburn Jr., the command supports the operations of the Marine Corps in every country in which forces are deployed.

"We are ready to handle the regeneration of equipment, both that which remained behind in CONUS (the continental United States) and the equipment coming in from the back-loaded ships at Blount Island," said Mashburn.

The Logistics Command supports the Marine Corps concept of Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare, or EMW,, to be able to respond rapidly to critical situations worldwide. That means getting to the fight by land, sea or air and supporting the Marines in battle with activities such as rapid acquisition and sustainment.

"Our job is to make sure the Marines are supplied with the equipment they need and then re-supply them when they are redeployed to meet the enemy in a new area," Mashburn said.

Watching the loading and unloading of ships on Blount Island, logistics experts usually can tell whether a piece of equipment has returned from Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia or elsewhere.

The Marine Corps pre-positions supplies and equipment in four areas--Norway, the eastern Mediterranean, Guam in the western Pacific and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. From those four locations, the Corps can deploy anywhere in the world on short notice. The...