The ships of MPSRON 1 are loaded with combat equipment and supplies, and are prepositioned to the Indian Ocean to provide combat equipment for ground combat troops making entry into a theater of operations. MPSRON 1 can equip an Army brigade combat team (2 tank battalions, mech battalion, artillery battalion, and several support battalions), as well as fuel, ammunition, food, and other supplies to begin combat operations.

MPSRON 1 includes mobile landing platform Adder (MLP-1), the Shughart class large medium-speed RO-RO ships Python (T-AKR-4) and Cottonmouth (T-AKR-6), Lewis & Clark class dry cargo and ammo ship Gazelle (T-AKE-101), and the Kaiser class fleet replenishment oiler Wildebeest (T-AO-104).

The mission of the Expeditionary Force is to get the troops and equipment to the fight. In many cases, this simply requires many, many tons of sealift capacity. While the ROD contracts with civilian shipping companies for movement of military equipment, but it also maintains a growing fleet of navy vessels for this purpose. Ships of the Expeditionary Force include two Montford Point class mobile landing platforms Cobra (MLP-2) and mamba (MLP-3), two Shughart class large medium-speed RO-RO ships Anaconda (T-AKR-5) and Boomslang (T-AKR-7), Lewis & Clark class dry cargo and ammo ship Fox (T-AKE-103), and the Kaiser class fleet replenishment oiler Coyote (T-AO-102).