FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
The U.S Army Reserve's 359th Transportation Battalion honed its warfighter-support capabilities during Operation Dragon Wave, a training exercise held at Fort Eustis' 3rd Port July 16-29.
The operation featured Logistics-Over-the-Shore, or LOTS, training to sustained trained and technically-proficient watercraft, and transportation units utilizing the port's Harbormaster Command and Control Center.
During the training scenario, more than 200 Army Reserve Soldiers provided support to the fictitious Combined Joint Task Force Sumatra, charged with assisting the government of Indonesia in overcoming an insurrection of the island of Sumatra. The 359th Trans. Bn. was tasked with providing logistics support for force protection to the task force, bridging the gap between vessels and the port, which is encumbered by enemy forces.
The Soldiers brought a variety of cargo, including Humvees, sky lifts and palletized cargo, aboard landing-craft-mechanized, or Mike boats, from 3rd Port to Utah Beach and back - to test their ability to operate in LOTS.
"In Logistics-Over-the-Shore, we exercise our ability to hit the beach with cargo, using Mike boats, tugs and barges. It's the Army's element to get cargo from a ship to beachhead when there's no infrastructure available," said Capt. Jonas Bateman, the 359th Trans. Bn. S3 plans officer.
Bateman said the biggest piece of the exercise was implementing the new Harbormaster Command and Control Center, or HCCC. The HCCC is a rapidly-deployable system that allows Soldiers to track vessels, cargo visibility, and exercise port or beach command-and-control functions using state-of-the-art technologies.
"Our new HCCC allows our harbormaster element to have satellite communications, [Unclassified but Sensitive Internet Protocol Router Network] and [Secret Internet Protocol Router Network], and full-motion video to do harbormaster operations directly on a beach. They set up on the sand, and are all self-contained," Bateman explained.
"Our Soldiers and the HCCC are able to see our boats moving, hitting the beach with cargo and picking up, and are controlling the boats in and out."
While transferring cargo between Utah Beach and 3rd port, the Soldiers faced a variety of challenges, including harassment by enemy forces via simulated small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades or improvised-explosive devices. Additionally, crews dealt with simulated pirate attacks while underway in the river, and held man-overboard drills, providing a variety of scenarios Soldiers could face during operations in hostile waters.
Operation Dragon Wave also provided annual training for several reservists from outside Fort Eustis, as well. Sgt. Christopher Mortorff, the vessel master of LCM-8596 assigned to the 464th Trans. Company (Medium Boat), brought his vessel and Soldiers from Fort Belvoir, Va., to participate. He joined reservists from across Virginia, some from as far away as Baltimore, Md., in honing their skills and training new troops.
"All the Soldiers out here on deck are in training to receive their certification to become watercraft operators," Mortorff said while underway on the LCM-8596. "I've got a coxswain in training at the helm in control of the vessel. When he's done the training, he'll be certified to operate this class of vessel.
"It's definitely a great opportunity for us to be down here participating, as we don't get the chance to experience this sort of exercise too often," he continued. "We're glad to be here helping out and getting our folks certified."