ANDERSEN AIR BASE, Guam -- Munitions that will be used to support Andersen Air Force Base defense and exercises were received and transported from Naval Base Guam to Andersen AFB in a joint-service Oceanic Shipping Container Operation from Nov. 15 and will end Nov. 19, 2020.
The ship carrying supplies was Military Sealift Command Vessel MV Major Bernard F. Fisher (T-AK-4396), which made the port of call at Kilo Wharf, NBG. Both civilian and Navy and Air Force service members worked side-by-side to unload and distribute supplies to both installations.
“The ship and wharf support from Naval Base Guam greatly enhances our ability to refresh our munitions stockpile at Andersen AFB,” said Tech. Sgt. Michael Beran, a production supervisor assigned to the 36th Munitions Squadron. “Shipments by sea are crucial to maintain mission lethality.”
Airman 1st Class Valeria Pulido, a munitions inspector technician assigned to 36th MUNS, says the importance of maintaining Andersen’s stockpile, which holds the largest inventory in the U.S. Air Force, is that the OSC Operation provides the Air Force and Navy a continued relationship of joint training and understanding of how each service operates and how they work together in their area of responsibility.
“We need the Navy’s cooperation to complete our job since we don’t have the capability to conduct the operation without their equipment,” Pulido said. “These events help support custodian accounts like security forces, explosive ordnance disposal, rapid engineer deployable heavy operational repair squadron engineers, combat arms training and maintenance, Air Force Office of Special Investigations and K9 by providing them assets for training and capabilities to support their missions.”
Pulido also added that these shipments have directly supported the Philippine Air Force, MUNS shipments, and exercises that occur on Andersen AFB.
“These oceanic shipments support U.S. INDO-PACOM missions that maintain stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, and deter aggression from adversaries like China, Russia and North Korea,” Beran said. “These shipments also support joint-service and multinational exercises like Exercise Cope North and Exercise Valiant Shield.”
Beran ended by saying that this call forward provides a great opportunity to work together with the Navy and to familiarize the 36th MUNS with how the Navy operates. He said that this operation strengthens unit cohesion and knowledge of joint-service operations.