WILHELMSHAVEN, Germany – (Dec. 20, 2024) Capt. Todd B. Penrod, Commander, Task Force 63 / Commander, Military Sealift Command Europe & Africa conducted a tour of port operations that included a visit to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) contracted vessel MV Sagamore as the ship was moored pier side at the EUROGATE Container Terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Germany Dec. 20.

Sagamore arrived at the port Dec. 18, under U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) tasking, carrying 451 containers of cargo for distribution to U.S. Army units in the region.

Joining Penrod on the ship visit were U.S. Army Lt. Col. James Acevedo, Battalion Commander, 838th Transportation Battalion and the 838th’s Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos Varas. Acevedo’s team serves as the single port manager under the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC). The 838th Transportation Battalion moves, deploys, and sustains Department of Defense forces in Europe.

“Anything from the cans that go into the commissary to household goods, POVs [privately owned vehicles] to the tanks that come into the theater; we’re responsible for all of that,” said Acevedo.

Acevedo also noted that this was the first time the EUROGATE container terminal was used since 2018, citing the importance of rotating through existing ports while exploring the viability of new ports. This movement provided an opportunity to identify infrastructure, processes, and procedures that can be improved upon to enhance military mobility in the European Theater.

“We have to have port diversification,” said Acevedo. Testing new ports also involves our NATO partners, increasing interoperability. These port operations in Wilhelmshaven demonstrate U.S. joint forces [SDDC and MSC] providing proactive and scalable options for priority missions. Military mobility is about more than just roads and bridges, it is about exercising the processes and procedures necessary to deliver a large force from ports in the U.S. to ports in Europe, and then on to a point of crisis, wherever that may be across the theater,” said Acevedo.

Seeing these operations first-hand helped Penrod gain a stronger understanding of the U.S. Army and SDDC’s role in joint operations across the European theater.

“Being here helped me get a better appreciation for what their [U.S. Army] processes look like,” said Penrod. “Their ability to come in and do a security assessment before the ship pulls in and to establish the connections with the port staff and infrastructure…it seems like it’s a well-oiled machine,” Penrod said.

Penrod went on to outline the true joint nature of operations like the one that took place in Wilhelmshaven.

“USTRANSCOM issues the orders and they [the 838th], representing SDDC, carry out their part as the Army’s transportation arm. We at MSC, we represent the Navy’s transportation arm, so you have by definition, a true joint environment, where Army and Navy are working together, sometimes in austere environments, to get cargo delivered throughout the continent.”

MSC directs and supports operations for approximately 140 civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea, conduct specialized missions, preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, perform a variety of support services, and move military equipment and supplies to deployed U.S. forces. Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024, MSC exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations, with a workforce that includes approximately 6,000 Civil Service Mariners and 1,100 contract mariners, supported by 1,500 shore staff and 1,400 active duty and reserve military personnel.