Fleet survey team: Providing operational hydrography to the U.S. Navy

Established in 2005, the U.S. Navy Fleet Survey Team (FST) is an organization that enables Theater combatant commanders worldwide with access in the littoral regions through operational hydrography. When forces are armed with detailed descriptions of the environmental conditions they could face, operations have a greater chance of being safely and efficiently executed. FST gathers the needed information via timely, self-contained hydrographic surveys in response to combatant commanders' requests. These requests frequently are for harbor, beach, or river areas where Navy operations will take place or where charting accuracy is uncertain. FST members (both civilian and military) quickly deploy to areas around the world outfitted with equipment to perform surveys from various boats of opportunity or from their own Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and personal water craft. Because of these unique capabilities, civilian and military members of FST have deployed to areas in the Middle East, Africa, and South America to perform near-shore surveys to collect data that aid in the safe navigation of U.S. forces and supplies traversing the area. FST members have also played significant roles in charting areas affected by natural disasters such as the 2004 south Asia tsunami and hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike in the Gulf of Mexico. Comprised of approximately 65 military and civilian members, FST is collocated with the Naval Oce?anographie Office and Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. Command personnel possess a unique blend of military and civilian knowledge and experience. Enlisted sailors routinely qualify as level-two military hydrographers, certifying their skills in addition to their Navy Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) training. In addition to their strong backgrounds in math, science, and engineering, officers and civilians frequently obtain master's degrees in hydrographic science through an ongoing program with The University of Southern Mississippi, which offers an accredited course by the International Hydrographie Organization (IHO) for Category A hydrographers.