New Military Sealift Command’s Indian Ocean head

New Military Sealift CommandÆs Indian Ocean head    The U.S. Military Sealift Command said it has appointed Navy Capt. Wesley Brown to commander of the Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two, based at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
   Brown replaces Capt. Gene 'Fred' Harr, who held the post since November 2009. Brown was executive officer of Tactical Training Group Atlantic in Norfolk, Va. He also served aboard guided missile cruiser USS Valley Forge, amphibious dock landing ships USS Harper’s Ferry and USS Oak Hill, and as commanding officer of amphibious transport dock ship USS Ponce.
   MPS Squadron Two is a fleet of nine government-owned and U.S.-flag commercial ships under charter to the Military Sealift Command that strategically preposition U.S. military cargo and supplies at sea in the Indian Ocean for rapid delivery to shore when needed.
   All nine ships in the squadron are crewed by civilian mariners working for private companies under contract to MSC who operate and navigate the ships.
   The Military Sealift Command in total operates about 110 noncombatant, merchant marine-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition cargo at sea and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. and allied forces.