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LEADERSHIP
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ABOUT USINDOPACOM
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USINDOPACOM Area of Responsibility map
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JTF - RED HILL
U.S. 7TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY
U.S. 7TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY
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31st MEU | Live-fire deck shoot aboard USS San Diego
31st MEU | Live-fire deck shoot aboard USS San Diego
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George Washington Conducts Helicopter Operations
George Washington Conducts Helicopter Operations
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Khaan Quest kicks off with an opening ceremony
Khaan Quest kicks off with an opening ceremony
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USS Annapolis (SSN 760) returns to Naval Base Guam
USS Annapolis (SSN 760) returns to Naval Base Guam
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USS George Washington conducts flight ops in Philippine Sea
USS George Washington conducts flight ops in Philippine Sea
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Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
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31st MEU | F-35B Lightning IIs conduct rapid flight operations
31st MEU | F-35B Lightning IIs conduct rapid flight operations
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Sailors man the rails aboard amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7), as the ship pulls into Pearl Harbor
Sailors man the rails aboard amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7), as the ship pulls into Pearl Harbor
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Travis AFB sends KC-46 across the Pacific to train with Misawa F-16s
Travis AFB sends KC-46 across the Pacific to train with Misawa F-16s
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KAMANDAG 9: MRF-D 25.3 and PMC conduct a counter-landing live-fire defense
KAMANDAG 9: MRF-D 25.3 and PMC conduct a counter-landing live-fire defense
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Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane Performs joint flight operations with French Navy off the coast of Tahiti
Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane Performs joint flight operations with French Navy off the coast of Tahiti
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506th EARS Refuel A-10s across the Pacific
506th EARS Refuel A-10s across the Pacific
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Salaknib 25 | Final Assault
Salaknib 25 | Final Assault
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QUART: HMLA-369 Conducts Deck Landing Qualifications Aboard USS Harpers Ferry
QUART: HMLA-369 Conducts Deck Landing Qualifications Aboard USS Harpers Ferry
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MRF-D 25.3: 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, conduct raid with VMM-363 during Southern Jackaroo
MRF-D 25.3: 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, conduct raid with VMM-363 during Southern Jackaroo
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QUART: CH53s Conduct Deck Landing Qualifications Aboard USS Harpers Ferry
QUART: CH53s Conduct Deck Landing Qualifications Aboard USS Harpers Ferry
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31st MEU | F-35B night flight operations
31st MEU | F-35B night flight operations
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MRF-D 25.3: 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, VMM-363 conduct air assault rehearsals during Predator’s Walk
MRF-D 25.3: 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, VMM-363 conduct air assault rehearsals during Predator’s Walk
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Conducts Vertical Replenishment Training
Conducts Vertical Replenishment Training
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Activated Reserve Marines Conduct Live Fire MOUT during Korea Viper 25.4
Activated Reserve Marines Conduct Live Fire MOUT during Korea Viper 25.4
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PACAF F-16 Demo Team conducts final flight after 30 years of enhancing U.S. relations worldwide
PACAF F-16 Demo Team conducts final flight after 30 years of enhancing U.S. relations worldwide
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KAMANDAG 9: VMM-364 Inserts Marines into Basco Island, Philippines
KAMANDAG 9: VMM-364 Inserts Marines into Basco Island, Philippines
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Operational Test Launch GT 253 is a 'Glory Trip' for wing
Operational Test Launch GT 253 is a 'Glory Trip' for wing
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Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
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Governor's Memorial Day Ceremony
Governor's Memorial Day Ceremony
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KAMANDAG 9: 3d LCT conducts high explosive battle drills
KAMANDAG 9: 3d LCT conducts high explosive battle drills
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Activated Reserve Marines Conduct CBRN Response Training with U.S. Army during Korea Viper 25.4
Activated Reserve Marines Conduct CBRN Response Training with U.S. Army during Korea Viper 25.4
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USS America (LHA 6) Conducts Flight Operations
USS America (LHA 6) Conducts Flight Operations
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Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
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Four Chaplains: Norwegian Foot March
Four Chaplains: Norwegian Foot March
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U.S., Japan display interoperability during Friendship Jump 2025
U.S., Japan display interoperability during Friendship Jump 2025
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FF25: Blaze of Friendship
FF25: Blaze of Friendship
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Blue Ridge Arrives in Wellington, New Zealand for the First Time
Blue Ridge Arrives in Wellington, New Zealand for the First Time
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Activated Reserve Marines Conduct MOUT Training during Korea Viper 25.4
Activated Reserve Marines Conduct MOUT Training during Korea Viper 25.4
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U.S. Marines Execute Casualty Evacuation Training during Jungle Leaders Course
U.S. Marines Execute Casualty Evacuation Training during Jungle Leaders Course
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31st MEU Boat Company conducts Small Boat Skills during MEUEX
31st MEU Boat Company conducts Small Boat Skills during MEUEX
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F-35B Lightning IIs fly over Wake Island
F-35B Lightning IIs fly over Wake Island
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USS Minnesota (SSN 783) returns to Naval Base Guam
USS Minnesota (SSN 783) returns to Naval Base Guam
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EOD members conduct fast-rope ops onto USS Nimitz in South China Sea
EOD members conduct fast-rope ops onto USS Nimitz in South China Sea
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Balikatan 25: 3d LCT and 25th ID Conduct Counter Landing Live Fire Event with AFP
Balikatan 25: 3d LCT and 25th ID Conduct Counter Landing Live Fire Event with AFP
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Respect the Past, Forge the Future: Air Power Days Returns to Osan
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31st MEU conducts quick response force rehearsal for MEUEX
31st MEU conducts quick response force rehearsal for MEUEX
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Nimitz Sailors Conduct a Refueling-at-Sea
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BTF 25-2: Seventh Mission Operations
BTF 25-2: Seventh Mission Operations
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Balikatan 25: Counter Landing Live Fire Exercise
Balikatan 25: Counter Landing Live Fire Exercise
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Balikatan 25: B Co. 3-25 exfils Gimlets
Balikatan 25: B Co. 3-25 exfils Gimlets
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BH 25-2: Kadena demonstrates Indo-Pacific readiness with joint elephant walk
BH 25-2: Kadena demonstrates Indo-Pacific readiness with joint elephant walk
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Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
Nimitz Conducts Flight Operations
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U.S. Air Force participates in Freedom Flag 25-1
U.S. Air Force participates in Freedom Flag 25-1
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Nimitz Conducts Search and Rescue Training
Nimitz Conducts Search and Rescue Training
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Balikatan 25: U.S., Philippine, Australian Forces Conduct Counter Landing Live Fire Exercise
Balikatan 25: U.S., Philippine, Australian Forces Conduct Counter Landing Live Fire Exercise
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Staging
Staging
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MQ-9 maintainers, planners integrate during Freedom Flag 25-1
MQ-9 maintainers, planners integrate during Freedom Flag 25-1
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MRF-D 25.3: Marines conduct on-off drills
MRF-D 25.3: Marines conduct on-off drills
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Balikatan 25: 353rd SOW, Philippine Special Forces Regiment conduct static line jump training
Balikatan 25: 353rd SOW, Philippine Special Forces Regiment conduct static line jump training
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Australia, Philippines, and U.S. Conduct Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity
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Balikatan 25: MADIS initial live fire drill
Balikatan 25: MADIS initial live fire drill
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MRF-D 25.3: Marines conduct on-off drills
MRF-D 25.3: Marines conduct on-off drills
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Balikatan 25: Marines deploy NMESIS to Basco
Balikatan 25: Marines deploy NMESIS to Basco
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PACOM Stories
835th Transportation Battalion Creates another Port Operations Solution at White Beach
19 March 2015
From Donna Klapakis, 599th Transportation Brigade
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The 835th Transportation Battalion continues to find innovative solutions to solve unusual port operations problems at White Beach in Okinawa, Japan.
Because the USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak was damaged in an incident at sea Jan. 22 shortly after it left Okinawa, it had to return to White Beach for repairs and could not complete its journey. Therefore, the 835th Trans. Bn. had to offload cargo from the ship Feb. 9-12 that they had just uploaded Jan. 20-21, while salvage and repair teams continued initial work on the ship that they had begun at sea.
This is when the 835th transportation specialists encountered a new set of problems with cargo discharge.
The 835th had already learned on the earlier upload that White Beach Pier bollards lack the strength to support the weight of the ship, and the configuration of the Kocak's stern ramp is such that it cannot be lowered onto the White Beach pier.
"The pier itself would not support a roll-on, roll-off operation, and the helos on the ship could not get up to the weather deck to use ship's cranes, so we had to figure out how to do a ro/ro operation when we didn't have the pier capacity," Raymond Brown, 835th distribution management chief said.
"Helicopters that had earlier been stowed below decks through the stern ramp in Hawaii could not be brought up to the weather deck for offload because the pitch of the internal ship's ramps was too steep for such large and expensive equipment," added Lt. Col. Charles Novotny, 835th Trans. Bn. commander.
"Among possible courses of action considered when planning to offload the ship was the use of causeways or a barge for offload. The cost of using a barge was much less than using the causeway, by about $1 million," said Novotny.
"Time was also a factor," Novotny added. "We needed to get the cargo off as soon as possible because of the damage to the ship. The barge was both a timesaver and a dollar saver."
The battalion rented the barge and a tracked shore crane with which to offload helicopters and other equipment that could not be taken up to the weather deck for offload via ship's cranes.
A built-up platform and the shore crane on board the barge provided stability during the offload.
"Because of the difference in height between the barge and the stern ramp, we built a platform on the barge to support the stern ramp," Brown said. "Once we erected that and leveled it, we lowered the stern ramp to make a level platform.
"Given the distance from the ramp to the pier side we used the heaviest crane possible to lift the critical cargo that could not be driven up the internal ramps to the weather deck," Novotny said.
"The crane was about five feet or so below the stern ramp, but because of its capacity, it could grab cargo and bring it ashore safely. We normally don't use that type of tracked crane on the
pier; we use wheeled cranes, but this type is more heavy-duty," Brown added.
Brown said form followed function in the design of the barge's platform.
"The platform size was determined by the ship's requirements of what the platform needed to be, and the salvage barge foreman and me doing the measurements of the freeboard to determine what size we could make it," he said.
"Afterward we just set the ramp on the platform. Because the ramp is so heavy, and both the barge and ship were moored to the pier, it didn't shift more than a foot or so fore and aft or port and starboard," Brown added.
In addition to using the ramp, ship's cranes simultaneously offloaded cargo that was located on or could be moved to the weather decks.
"Using the barge and platform was just an idea that came to us because the ship had to be discharged in unusual circumstances. At the end of the day you have to get the job done," said Brown.
Salvage and repair teams and the transportation specialists worked together to ensure the cargo was offloaded and the ship was repaired.
"We had an agreement where we would work during the day and the salvage and repair teams would work at night unless something critical came up," Novotny said.
After they had offloaded all cargo and equipment from the Kocak, the 835th transloaded it onto the USNS Pfc. Eugene A. Obregon, the Kocak's sister ship, which was en route to White Beach. The cargo was then able to resume its journey to other Pacific Pathways exercises.
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