JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
U.S. Marine Forces Reserve leadership toured prepositioning programs Jan. 12 at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island to examine how reserve forces can support the development of ashore prepositioning programs across the Indo-Pacific.
Service members, civilians and contractors with Blount Island Command outlined their role in keeping combat-ready equipment and supplies forward to enable rapid, global response by Marine expeditionary forces. Discussions focused on how Marine Forces Reserve can augment and reinforce active-duty logistics capabilities through ashore and afloat maintenance.
“We want Marines on their active training period where they can be most productive,” said Col. Kevan Lewis, commanding officer of 4th Combat Readiness Regiment, 4th Marine Logistics Group. He said the visit helped identify opportunities to support planning, experimentation and sustainment in complex operating environments.
“Working alongside the active component gives our Marines experience in an environment where they have the right tools, equipment and parts, and can focus on maintenance production,” Lewis said.
The agenda included command, operations, ashore prepositioning and reserve capabilities briefs, along with tours of a maintenance warehouse and the USNS Sgt. William R. Button, a Military Sealift Command–managed cargo ship used for afloat prepositioning of equipment and supplies.
Blount Island Command personnel provided detailed insight into offloading procedures and asset management, demonstrating how prepositioned materiel is maintained, tracked and prepared for deployment, as well as opportunities for reserve maintenance support teams.
Lewis said reserve units offer flexible manpower, technical expertise and production capacity that can support prepositioning requirements in both steady-state operations and contingency environments, including shipboard maintenance, offloads, forward sustainment and experimentation.
“We found a lot of opportunities,” said Col. David Merles, commanding officer of Blount Island Command, following the briefs. “We’ll get a lot of momentum out of this.”
With forward sustainment nodes expanding across the Indo-Pacific, Lewis said the briefs and tours revealed significant opportunities for reserve integration and training, afloat and ashore.
“Putting Marines forward during their active training periods builds readiness,” he said.
Lewis added that closer coordination with Blount Island Command could enable reserve Marines to support post-exercise repair and maintenance in the Indo-Pacific and emerging capabilities such as adaptive manufacturing, strengthening both readiness and innovation across the force.
“It’s about connections,” Lewis said. “By connecting our network of professionals, we build speed in experimentation and the exploration of technologies and procedures—all the innovation efforts.”