Sailors aboard amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) rush to their stations as they get ready for replenishment at sea (RAS) with USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189).
This RAS takes place during Bold Alligator 2014, which is a two-week, multinational, amphibious exercise hosted by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps to strengthen core competencies in the areas of amphibious operations and bilateral cooperation.
This extensive logistics technique plays a major role in the Navy’s capability to sustain long missions at sea where port visits are not an option.
Before the RAS was created the only way to replenish ships far from home was to pull into foreign ports. This, however, had two major disadvantages: the infrastructure was potentially vulnerable to disruption or attack, and it introduced predictable patterns to naval operations that enemies could potentially exploit.
Bold Alligator mimics some of those conditions to increase the realism of the scenario and to provide a semi-controlled environment to conduct RAS evolutions, sustain proficiency and obtain required supplies. In addition to supporting a flexible military strategy, replenishments at sea also offer cost savings in terms of time and money.
To any salty Sailor, watching a RAS may seem mundane but if one small thing goes wrong it would be a catastrophe. Safety is paramount to continue to maintain mission readiness.
Bold Alligator ran until Nov. 10 afloat and ashore along the Eastern Seaboard.
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Press release, Image: US Navy