ilitary Sealift Command, or MSC, is the leading provider of ocean transportation for the Navy and the rest of the Department of Defense, or DOD – operating approximately 110 ships daily around the globe. MSC headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. In FY 2011, MSC reported through three distinct and separate chains of command:

• To U.S. Fleet Forces Command, or USFF, for Navy-unique matters. USFF organizes, maintains, crews and equips all U.S. Naval forces for the Chief of Naval Operations and combatant commanders worldwide;
• To U.S. Transportation Command, or USTRANSCOM, for defense transportation matters. USTRANSCOM provides coordination of all air, land and sea transportation for the DOD; and
• To the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition), or ASN (RDA), for procurement policy and oversight matters. ASN (RDA) provides weapons, systems and platforms for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Programs

MSC has four ship management programs:

• Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force
• Special Mission
• Prepositioning
• Sealift

Directorates

Headquarters functional directorates provide specialized support services to the ship management programs and the MSC commander:

• Maritime Forces and Manpower Management (N1)
• Operations (N3)
• Logistics (N4)
• Joint Plans, Strategic Studies and Wargaming (N5)
• Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (N6)
• Engineering (N7)
• Comptroller (N8)
• Strategic Planning (N9)
• Contracts and Business Management (N10)

Military Sealift Fleet Support Command

Military Sealift Fleet Support Command, or MSFSC, located in Norfolk, Va., crews, trains, equips and maintains MSC government-owned/government-operated ships worldwide and supports other MSC assets as directed. MSFSC's primary functions include:

• Managing the repair and maintenance of MSC's government-owned/government-operated ships and their installed shipboard communication systems;
• Conducting personnel administration for assigned active-duty military and civil service mariners, or CIVMARs, who operate MSC's government-owned/government-operated ships; and
• Providing engineering management, comptroller and contracting functions related to MSC's government-owned/government-operated ships and crews.

Ship maintenance and support functions are integrated into six Military Sealift Command ship support units, or MSC SSUs, that operate under MSFSC in the following locations:

• Naples, Italy
• Manama, Bahrain
• Singapore
• Yokohama, Japan
• San Diego
• Guam

MSC Area Commands

MSC area commands provide MSC-unique expertise and operational perspective to Navy fleet commanders worldwide. The area commands are operationally focused and are aligned with the numbered fleet logistics staffs in their respective theaters.

• Military Sealift Command Atlantic, or MSCLANT – Norfolk, Va.
• Military Sealift Command Pacific, or MSCPAC – San Diego
• Military Sealift Command Europe and Africa, or MSCEURAF – Naples, Italy
• Military Sealift Command Central, or MSCCENT – Manama, Bahrain
• Military Sealift Command Far East, or MSCFE – Singapore

Area commands also have offices and representatives in Diego Garcia; Kuwait; Okinawa; Republic of Korea; Spain; Greece (Crete); the United Arab Emirates; Djibouti; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Seattle; Earle, N.J.; Sunny Point, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Beaumont, Texas; Port Canaveral, Fla.; and Jacksonville, Fla.