On behalf of the staff at Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron TWO, we congratulate you on receiving orders to the largest squadron in the Navy. Your orders indicate the command is homeported in San Diego, California. However, the squadron is actually permanently forward-deployed and operates out of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Although current Navy Bureau of Personnel guidance allows you to ship up to 500 pounds of personal belongings, exercise restraint and limit your shipment to essentials. Your berthing assignment will be a one person stateroom with private bath aboard a merchant ship. You are being assigned to shipboard duty which means bringing only the items that are required for this one-year deployment. A full seabag is required and the working uniform is coveralls. A limited selection of civilian clothing for liberty is also necessary. Shorts and T-shirts with sandals or sneakers are the most popular civilian attire. Wash and wear articles are highly recommended as there is no dry cleaning facility on DG. You may want to consider bringing some dress clothes for special events, church or just going out to the clubs.
When making transportation arrangements with your servicing PSD, military identification card and orders are required for entry into Diego Garcia. Do not ship household goods to Yokohama, Japan. You are required to have either a passport or a 'raised seal' birth certificate in order to obtain a passport. The squadron's mission may require travel to foreign countries which have imposed travel restrictions which make a passport necessary. If you plan to travel during your assignment, you may find it convenient to have a tourist's passport. We make every effort to grant annual leave when requested if operational commitments allow.
If you have dependents, ensure they are enrolled in the DEERS program, the TRICARE program and that their identification cards are valid until your return from MPSRON TWO. Ensure that you bring your marriage certificate or divorce decree and a copy of each child's birth certificate; these documents will be required if your dependents need identification cards or to update DEERS.
If you are entitled to a veteran's housing allowance, you must present a copy of the rental/lease agreement showing the rent/lease amount; if you are buying a house, you will need a copy of the sale/mortgage paperwork. A veteran's housing allowance cannot not be started without either of these documents.
Please keep a travel itinerary as you travel to make it easy to complete your travel claim. You must retain all receipts for lodging, airline/train/bus tickets, and obtain receipts for expenses in excess of $75. If you are delayed enroute as a result of a cancellation or mechanical problems with commercial transportation, you must obtain a statement from the agent/manager that your scheduled trip was canceled or that a mechanical difficulty occurred. This will ensure reimbursement of authorized expenses.
Diego Garcia has some of the best recreational facilities in the Navy. While the island is small, it has medical, dental and religious facilities as well as a mini-commissary. The island also has the U.S. Navy's largest ship's store with about 3,000 different items. If you require special toiletry items/medication, you should bring a few month's supply. Uniform items are limited, and many of the staff utilize mail order catalogs. You are authorized to wear black colored rubber sole shoes aboard ship, and there is a $50 reimbursement authorized for shoes with receipt.
The squadron consists of four officers, four enlisted personnel and seven civilian personnel. MPSRON TWO is responsible for the administrative, operational and material support of twelve ships. Seven Maritime Prepositioning Ships and four other prepositioning ships -- three Army Prepositioned Stocks-3 ships and one Navy, Defense Logistics Agency and Air Force ships. MPS ships support the Marine Corps, while the others support other military services and agencies. All are operated by civilians and are either government-owned or under charter to Military Sealift Command.
We look forward to having you join the MPSRON TWO team. Again, welcome to MPSRON TWO!
