A detachment of U.S. Navy reservists from the Military Sealift Command Pacific’s Expeditionary Port Unit is providing critical logistical support ahead of Operation Deep Freeze 2026, the annual resupply mission to the United States Antarctic Program’s outposts, the U.S. Department of War confirmed.
Over the past weeks, the reservists have been stationed at Port Hueneme, overseeing the meticulous loadout of more than 300 pieces of cargo onto the Military Sealift Command-chartered heavy-lift vessel Plantijngracht.
The cargo manifests include construction materials and equipment, vital goods for McMurdo Station’s ongoing projects, and a 65-ton floating modular causeway system intended to replace the traditional ice pier—made obsolete this season due to the size and weight of cargo.
Acting as liaisons between the ship’s crew and Military Sealift Command, the reservists ensure that each element of this complex operation adheres to schedule and standards. Commanding Officer Navy Cmdr. Allan Phillips described the experience as a valuable departure from conventional naval assignments, one that broadens the unit’s logistical expertise and deepens cooperation with civilian partners.
“The mission gives us a broader experience of what goes on in the logistics side of the Navy,” Phillips stated.
The Plantijngracht is slated to depart Jan. 8, with a scheduled stop in Christchurch, New Zealand, to embark additional supplies before embarking on the nearly 8,000-nautical-mile voyage to Antarctica. Once at McMurdo Station, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion personnel will manage the offload, and the ship will take on “retrograde” cargo—including waste and decommissioned equipment—for removal from the continent.
Reservists acknowledged that working over the holiday period was a departure from normal routines yet saw it as an opportunity to contribute to a larger, interagency effort. Hospital Corpsman First Class Marilyn Lazar noted the value of seeing how logistics fit into the broader operational landscape of a mission of this scale.
Operation Deep Freeze supports scientific research and ongoing U.S. engagement in Antarctica, with logistics coordinated among multiple branches of the armed forces, civilians, and government agencies under the leadership of the National Science Foundation.
