U.S. Navy Supply Corps officers, supply enlisted Sailors and Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) employees celebrated the 225th Supply Corps birthday Feb. 24 at NAVSUP headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, with a cake cutting and remarks by 48th Chief of Supply Corps Rear Adm. Michelle C. Skubic, who also serves as commander, NAVSUP.

“The Supply Corps has set the standard for excellence and selfless devotion to duty.  From replenishments at sea – first conducted by USS Constitution in 1799 and later considered a ‘secret weapon’ in World War II – to today’s globally integrated supply chains, we remain Navy’s premiere readiness enablers,” Skubic said.

One of the oldest staff corps in the Navy, the Supply Corps dates back to Feb. 23, 1795 when President George Washington appointed Tench Francis, a Philadelphia businessman, as the country’s first Purveyor of Public Supplies. Francis unified a group of independent pursers under a single organization, which eventually became the Navy Supply Corps.

At its inception, the Supply Corps supported the Navy’s six frigates. Since that time, the duties and responsibilities of the Supply Corps have continuously evolved to keep pace with the expanding scope of the Navy’s global mission.

There are more than 3,300 active and Reserve component officers—from warrant to flag officer—who proudly wear the oak leaf insignia of the Supply Corps. These men and women are the Navy’s premier business managers. They serve on nearly every afloat platform and in a full range of expeditionary environments, as well as at hundreds of shore installations worldwide.

“As a Supply Corps, we have the trust and confidence from our customers to provide the support they need—positioning materiel, capabilities and even ourselves in the right place at the right time to maintain readiness. Our ability to support distributed maritime operations will enable us to achieve victory in a time of great power competition and maintain freedom of the seas. NAVSUP and the Supply Corps will aggressively explore opportunities and work with our partners to support the warfighter faster and more efficiently,” said Skubic.

Skubic went on to emphasize, “Now is a time to celebrate 225 years of being ready to serve, ready to sustain the fight and ready for sea.”

Skubic commands a worldwide workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel, providing logistics support and retail services to U.S. and allied naval forces. She previously served as commander, Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime in Columbus, Ohio. Her operational assignments include USS Acadia, and supply officer for Precommissioning Units McFaul and George H. W. Bush. She was also forward deployed as commander, Defense Logistics Agency Support Team in Kuwait during Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom.

Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, NAVSUP's mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter.

Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and www.twitter.com/navsupsyscom.

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