MSC Squadron Completes Maldives Port Call
Military Sealift Command Maritime Prepositioning Force ship USNS SGT William R. Button left the port of Male, Republic of the Maldives, today after completing a four-day port visit to the Indian Ocean island nation. The stop included bilateral meetings with senior Maldives National Defense Force officials, cultural exchange activities and a community relations event. Button is the flagship of Diego Garcia-based Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two, which has a current fleet of 12 noncombatant…
Change at the helm for Indian Ocean-based Maritime Prepositioning Squadron
Navy Capt. Charles “Gene” Emmert has relieved Navy Capt. Wesley Brown as commander of Military Sealift Command’s Indian Ocean-based Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two. Emmert, the squadron’s 27th commander, accepted command during a ceremony on board MSC Maritime Prepositioning Force ship USNS SGT William R. Button in Diego Garcia’s lagoon. The commander of MPS Squadron Two has a staff of 10 active duty sailors and is responsible for the tactical control and readiness of the squadron’s current fleet of 12 government-owned and -chartered noncombatant cargo carriers.
USS Duluth Receives Coast Guard Commendation
By Journalist Seaman Apprentice S.C. USS Duluth (LPD 6) was presented with the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation during an awards ceremony on the ship's flight deck February 27. The award, comparable to the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, is granted to a unit of the Coast Guard for valorous or meritorious achievement, or for service by another branch of the military in support of Coast Guard operations. Duluth and her crew were awarded the honor for supporting Coast Guard Port Security Units (PSU) during Operation Iraqi Freedom from March to May 2003.
