Port, MNG work logistics for first time

GULFPORT, Miss. - The Mississippi Army National Guard (MNG) and the Port of Gulfport are working for the first time to transport military equipment, and to highlight the port's capabilities, when it comes to military logistics. It’s the first time the MNG has used Gulfport to move equipment since the port's achieved strategic designation status by the Defense Department. For the logistics mission, trucks and tanks were loaded onto a container ship. It is an on-the-job test to show that the Port of Gulfport is a viable option for the military. In the joint business venture, the MNG’s 842nd Transportation Battalion was working with employees from the port, state, and region to load equipment from the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, which is the largest reserve component training site in the U.S. "(T)his is the proof of principle,” said MNG Maj. Gen. Jason Boyle, to show that the Army can use the port to show Camp Shelby can be used for expanded training purposes, and that the port can move the required training mission equipment in and out of the region instead of shipping from Florida or Texas. (Source: WLOX 05/08/18) Camp Shelby is a regular annual training location for National Guard and Reserve units located in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Additionally, units from across the country use its assets to support a variety of missions.