MARCH 19, 2025 – U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, U.S. Navy Sailors with Naval Beach Group 1, and Republic of Korea Marines with the ROK Marine Corps’ MLG conducted an instream offload at the beach outside of ROKMC Base Pohang during exercise Freedom Banner 25 in Pohang, South Korea, from Feb. 28 to March 1, 2025.
The instream offload is part of the overarching Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) strategy, which sees these supplies transported by ship and offloaded and distributed to III Marine Expeditionary Forces in-country prior to the Korean Marine Exchange Program. The instream variation of an MPF offload is designed to be conducted without routine logistical support systems.
“This operation simulates an offload of equipment from a United States Naval Ship vessel directly to the shore and providing that equipment quickly to the (Marine Air-Ground Task Force) commander on the ground in locations where docking pierside for offload is untenable,” said 1st Lt. Rafael Almodovar Sanabria, assistant current operations officer with 3rd MLG. “This sealift capability allows equipment to flow in a non-permissive environment, where the ship anchors in a safe haven to provide that gear to shore in a rapid manner without use of a pier to dock at.”
Off the coast of Dogu Beach outside ROKMC Base Pohang sat the USNS Dahl (T-AKR 312), one of four MPF ships as part of the USN’s Military Sealift Command, designed to sustain a MAGTF for up to 30 days. The USNS Dahl transferred the vehicles and equipment by crane onto an Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS), a mobile platform used as the transportation asset between ship and shore. The INLS sails as close to the beach as possible before the equipment is taken off and staged for follow-on actions.
However, the beach must be prepared beforehand, or as much as the conditions of operations can allow. ROK Marines with the ROKMC MLG laid expeditious roadway mats from the nearest road down to the edge of the surf, providing a cleared path for the equipment to exfiltrate the beach as quickly as possible.
In addition to the instream offload refining the MLG’s ability to transport equipment in a contested environment, nearly 900 additional Marines and Sailors and additional vehicles and equipment was concurrently offloaded at Pohang Port via a High-Speed Transport (HST) vessel. The dual operations, both in support of upcoming III MEF bilateral training evolutions alongside the ROKMC forces, flexed the MLG’s ability to logistically support such a large force.
“It’s been a significant exercise for us so far, conducting offload both pierside and instream of one of our MPF vessels, then transporting the equipment to multiple sites throughout the country,” said Brig. Gen. Kevin Collins, commanding general of 3rd MLG. “It’s important to demonstrate we can get our equipment to the peninsula, create a composite combat-credible force, and employ those forces and assets in a field training exercise.”
The ability to conduct an instream offload is critical to logistical operations during a contingency or disaster relief event. Rather than being forced to rely on preexisting infrastructure to support the movement of warfighting or lifesaving equipment and supplies, the capability to execute sealift operations provides the ability to offload at virtually any feasible coastal location, rallying ashore, and moving inland where required. Coupled with the HST offload, MLG logisticians facilitated the doubling of III MEF forces and equipment in South Korea in a single day.
“Most MEF level deployments require you to marshal hundreds of troops and cargo at some point, but never have I ever expected to marshal and stage almost 1,000 personnel plus cargo in a single rotation,” said Cpl. Matthew Mulherin, Jr., embarkation chief with G3, 3rd MLG. “We have reached a milestone with these offloads, raising the bar for future iterations of the exercise.”
Freedom Banner is the validation and improvement of the MLG’s expeditious sealift capability and integrated logistics operations. This training strengthens the MLG’s ability to embark, offload and distribute gear and equipment across a contested environment in support of combat or humanitarian events alongside the command and support structure of the ROKMC MLG.
“This is not just a relationship of warriors, but one of friends,” said Collins. “The ROK Marine Corps and U.S. Marine Corps are very close, but our MLGs are even closer.”
Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Wright 3rd Marine Logistics Group