Knights Brigade flexes sustainment muscle at Anakonda

By 1st Lt. Hilary Klotz and Sgt. Daniel Wyatt, 16th Sustainment Brigade Public AffairsJune 20, 2016

Knights Brigade flexes sustainment muscle at Anakonda
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – TORUN, Poland -- Sgt. Joshua Elkins (right), a nodal network systems operator assigned to the 504th Brigade Signal Company, 16th Special Troops Battalion learns how to use a Polish radio June 8. (Photo by 1st Lt. Hilary Klotz, 16th Sustainment Bde. P... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Knights Brigade flexes sustainment muscle at Anakonda
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – INOWROCLAW, Poland -- Sgt. Stella Heronime, a motor transport operator assigned to the 515th Transportation Company, refuels a humvee here June 6. The company provided bulk fuel to over 12 training areas during Anakonda 16. (Photo by 1st Lt. Hilary K... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Knights Brigade flexes sustainment muscle at Anakonda
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – TORUN, Poland -- A 12th Aviation Brigade Chinook helicopter carries a humvee that was prepped and loaded by Soldiers from the 240th Quartermaster Supply Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. (Photo by Sgt. Daniel Wyatt, 16th Sustainment... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

TORUN, Poland - Soldiers of the 16th Sustainment Brigade flexed their warfighting muscle by providing a variety of sustainment services to the 31,000 troops from 24 nations participating in exercise Anakonda 16 here June 7-16.

Nothing moves without fuel, food, water, and movement control and that's what the 955 Soldiers from the 16th SB that supported the exercise brought to the table for this Polish-led multinational exercise.

Beginning their efforts May 26, the Knight's Brigade's support to Anakonda 16 started long before the official start of the exercise, and the brigade also supported two other exercises simultaneously with Anakonda 16; Swift Response and Sabre Strike.

According to the brigade's Senior Enlisted Leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Maveric Ledbetter, the performance by the Knight's Brigade Soldiers was nothing less than fantastic.

"Our talented young leaders excelled during Anakonda and I couldn't be more proud to serve alongside them," Ledbetter said.

Six movement control teams deployed to 12 locations throughout Poland for theater opening and sustainment of distribution operations to provide freedom of movement for follow-on forces during the exercise which was one of U.S. Army Europe's premier multinational training events this year.

The 16th Special Troops Battalion moved the brigade's tactical operations center from Baumholder, Germany to Torun, Poland, where it oversaw the brigade's sustainment operations in support of four combat brigades.

The brigade also provided a transit center in Torun for incoming and outgoing troops.

The 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion directed food, water, and fuel operations by establishing a fuel supply point, a tactical water purification system, a distribution center, and a ration break point area. The brigade distributed these supplies to 16 locations in Poland.

The 39th Transportation Battalion executed theater-opening activities including port and terminal operation and reception, staging, onward movement, and integration. The battalion staged vehicles and transported equipment ranging from ammunition to Abrams tanks.

The 10th Polish Logistics Brigade, collocated at the landing support area, also supported the exercise with heavy equipment, convoys, communications, and medical aid.

Operating with almost 100 troops, and 400 vehicles and pieces of equipment, across more than a dozen separate locations was far from easy, but was exactly the sort of expeditionary challenge the brigade was looking for according to Col. Michelle Letcher, the 16th Sust. Bde. Commander, who added that increasing the brigade's operational reach, or ability to operate across long distances and in geographically remote areas, was one of the main goals of the exercise.

"It's a challenge but it's also an opportunity to see how far we can stretch our organization to support our allies," said Letcher. "Whether you're pumping fuel, driving a truck or firing a weapon, your goal is to provide stability and security and that's what we did."

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Anakonda 16