Command and Control of MSC Shipping.

The Military Sealift CommandMSC exercises command and control over a large number of Ships, which provide services and support to a diverse group of users. The ships fall under different types of ownership, management, and regulatory bodies. The organizations involved with MSC ships often do not have an understanding of the normal command channels or have misassumptions of how civilian manned ships fit into a particular command channel. The diverse nature of MSC shipping in conjunction with the often frequent transfers of operational control makes it difficult at times to determine which organization has command responsibilities. This paper analyses when MSC exercises operational andor administrative control over various types of ships and also explains why these control functions are often exercised differently from other naval activities.