JOINT EXPEDITIONARY BASE LITTLE CREEK-FORT STORY, Va. –
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) conducted a weeklong joint logistics exercise with U.S. Navy counterparts at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia, beginning Nov. 2, 2020.
Participants in the training aimed to enhance their ability to accomplish missions together in a joint capacity.
“The objective we’re really looking for is that tight integration with our sister service: the Navy,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jordan Jendersee, 368th Seaport Operations Company commander, 11th Transportation Battalion, 7th TB(X). “With something like this, it puts that bigger dynamic with the Navy and Army coexisting—especially in the new environment [where] we talk about large-scale operations and bringing the Army, Navy and other entities in. This lays the groundwork for those large-scale operations.”
The 7th TB(X) Soldiers conducted loading operations at one of the beaches on the installation, where they drove their vehicles onto two watercraft known as Improved Navy Lighterage System causeway ferries. The ferries then sailed to another beach where the vehicles were offloaded onto the shore.
“This is one of those simulations which shows the Army can operate underneath any circumstance and challenge, and also show that we can come together as two different forces—applying both of our strengths and assets together to mobilize the force,” Jendersee said.
Jendersee praised the troops in his company, saying they serve as a vital link between the home front and the combat zone.
“At the end of the day the 368th SOC does a phenomenal job,” Jendersee said. “This is what we do in the Army. A lot of people don’t know what we bring to the fight. We’re the continuity from that home station to wherever we go in the world, especially with all the challenges going on. We’ve been highly successful, and we will continue to be.”