USNS Montford Point hosts Joint Maritime Security Response Team Exercise

Teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Marine Corps conducted a joint training exercise aboard Military Sealift Command’s USNS Montford Point (T-ESD 1) while the ship was pierside onboard Naval Station Norfolk, Oct. 13, 2026.

Participating units included the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) – East and the U.S. Marine Corps’ 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26 MEU) Maritime Raid Force (MRF). The teams specialize in maritime counterterrorism, high-speed rigid-hulled inflatable boat transfers, direct-action missions and maritime raids.

“It is crucial to rehearse these operations in both static and underway training environments to hone the advanced skills necessary to conduct operations while deployed,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Joseph Rodriguez, MSRT-East team lead and assault force commander. “These training events directly support the types of operations deployed forces may conduct across multiple combatant commands, safely and professionally.”

Rodriguez said the exercise was part of a two-week training block between MSRT-East and 26th MEU MRF, designed to improve capabilities and bolster unit integration for possible future deployments.

“The objective of the exercise is to improve the readiness of all participating units to deploy together and conduct real-world operations,” Rodriguez said. “The training is designed to focus on all aspects of maritime interdiction operations and culminates with underway vessel take-downs on simulated vessels of interest within the Chesapeake Bay.”

During the training, integrated assault forces on small boats approached the vessel and attached a caving ladder to the side of the ship. The trainees then climbed the ladder and boarded the ship. Once aboard, the teams moved to secure key spaces aboard the vessel to achieve positive navigational control of the ship.

Rodriguez said platforms like Montford Point expose the teams to challenges and situations similar to those they may encounter during missions.

“The Montford Point is an ideal platform because it is suitable for hook and climb training and presents complex close-quarters combat problems for the assault force to navigate,” Rodriguez said. “It simulates a target vessel that could be interdicted during future operations.”

Capt. Joshua Jordan, Ship’s Master, USNS Montford Point, said the ship’s spaces provide the training teams an environment that challenges tactics, techniques, and procedures.

“The vessel itself provides a good fit for training based on its commercial style tanker hull and machinery spaces, while also providing ample training areas for large amounts of teams to conduct training jointly,” said Jordan. “Training held in a controlled environment will hopefully carry over to minimize mistakes where it counts.”

Jordan said the ship has hosted numerous training evolutions over the past decade and has brought added value to the ship’s crew.

“The Montford Point is always ready and eager to assist where we can for the needs of MSC, and any other branches of service or government that may be interested in utilizing the vessel for training,” said Jordan. “As a crew, we aim to familiarize personnel with the vessel and provide a realistic training environment that could potentially save lives.”

Rodriguez said the partnership between MSC and MSRT East provides a vital training resource that enhances counterterrorism tactics under the realistic pressure of a simulated crisis.

“The relationship is valuable because our primary mission requires us to be experts in maritime tactical operating environments,” said Rodriguez. “MSC provides platforms that facilitate that training and directly support the unit’s obligated mission readiness.”

MSC exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations, with a workforce that includes approximately 6,000 Civil Service Mariners and 1,500 contract mariners, supported by 1,500 shore staff and 3,500 active duty and reserve military personnel.

USNS Montford Point hosts Joint Maritime Security Response Team Exercise

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