The objective of this evaluation was to determine whether the DoD effectively provided contested mobility training requirements for personnel supporting the DoD surge sealift mission.
Sealift is how the DoD and the Department of Transportation transport most military equipment during a major conflict. A robust and responsive surge sealift fleet is critical to the U.S. national security strategy in the U.S. Indo‑Pacific Command area of responsibility and around the globe.
A contested environment (CE) is a hostile or uncertain environment where host government forces do not have territory and population controls in the intended operational area. The Military Sealift Command (MSC) has a global presence and an understanding of the CE and the skills required to operate in a CE. CE training for mariners is important to keep sealift vessels afloat and continue the flow of logistics when called on. The surge sealift fleet consists of 48 vessels owned and maintained by the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), also known as the Ready Reserve Force.