DIVULJE AIR BASE, CROATIA -- Since the beginning of the Marine Corps, logistics has been an integral part of operations. Logistics Marines keep operations organized and ensure mission success.
Logistics is paramount in Maritime Prepositioning Force operations, which would not be possible without the Landing Force Shore Party. These task organized, mission specific groups are responsible for the receiving, staging and onward movement of gear.
“LFSP has the responsibility for everything that’s coming ashore and getting it to gaining units,” said Chief Warrant Officer Christopher T. Saucedo, LFSP officer in charge for Operation Noble Midas. “It is the cornerstone on which operations are built. If you can’t get gear into theater, you can’t fight with it. LFSP becomes the conduit to the fight.”
Being task organized, LFSP is compiled of many different military occupational specialties. Two of the most renown occupations in a LFSP are Landing Support Specialists and Embarkation and Combat Service Support Specialists.
“LFSP has so many different responsibilities that all different elements of the (Marine Air Ground Task Force) can contribute to a successful LFSP,” Saucedo said.
Saucedo explained that LFSP does everything from setting up beach markers, which directs the flow of traffic, to verifying what gear is being stored on the ground.
With so many different responsibilities, attention to detail is particularly important for LFSP. It keeps operations running smoothly, keeps gear from getting lost and can save lives.
“If you don’t have attention to detail, gear could get lost, accountability could get messed up and Marines could get hurt,” said Sgt. Charles R. Huntsman, LFSP noncommissioned officer in charge for Operation Noble Midas. “If the accountability is wrong, Marines won’t get the gear they need when they need it.”
Marines involved in a LFSP ensure supplies get to the fight. It’s the Marines’ hard work, efficiency and discipline that sustain LFSP missions.
“The Marines’ efforts at the opening stages of the engagement will set the tempo of the operation,” Saucedo said. “The more equipment we get into the fight, the more it can be pushed forward.”