ZARAGOZA AIR FORCE BASE, Spain (Oct. 20, 2015) -- U.S. Soldiers based in Germany helped launch the largest NATO exercise in two decades by initiating vehicle fueling operations in eastern Spain, Oct. 8.
Soldiers, from the 515th Transportation Company, 39th Transportation Battalion, part of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command's 16th Sustainment Brigade, began bulk fuel operations with troops from four partner countries as part of Exercise Trident Juncture 2015.
"When you're deployed, you're working with different nations; so this is a great test to make sure our fuel connections fit their vehicles," said Sgt. Arthur Kreft, a team leader with the 515th Transportation Company and a Greenville, South Carolina native. "It's beneficial working with the other countries because you start to understand the cultural differences and working mentalities."
The 515th Transportation Company merged one of its platoons with Spanish, French, Italian, British and Lithuanian troops to improve interoperability in a multinational bulk fuel company referred to as a modular combined petroleum unit, or MCPU.
"The biggest challenge has been getting our [American] equipment to work with that of our allies," said 1st Lt. Stevie Hasenfus, the leader of the 515th's 2nd Platoon and a Dover-Foxcroft, Maine native. "We researched the fuel adaptors for months before the exercise to find the correct NATO adaptor so that we can now fuel almost any other country here."
The 515th Transportation Company brought nine tractor trucks, six towed bulk fuel tanks, one towed flatbed trailer and a towed recovery vehicle to Spain for Trident Juncture, which will engage 35 troop-contributing countries and 36,000 Soldiers - 5,000 of whom are Americans.
The troops spoke slowly and used smiles and gestures at a fuel point where trucks from two nations received petroleum from a third nation. The three languages posed a barrier that the service members crossed through cooperation.
"I expect minor challenges with the language barrier," Kreft said. "For example, today we had Spanish, French and American troops working together.
"Our platoon has six Soldiers that speak Spanish and one that speaks French," he said. "But he was on another mission, so we had to communicate with our French colleagues via hand gestures and their limited English, which is much better than our non-existent French. This is a small limitation and we find ways to work around the language barrier."
The MCPU will provide 25,000 gallons of jet fuel and 5,000 gallons of diesel in support of the Trident Juncture fuel cell. Trident Juncture will be the highest-visibility NATO event in 2015 and will involve its entire command structure.
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