French Sgt. 1st Class Oliver Leroy and French Cpl. Mourad Hakkar show Spc. Reda Hajnassar petroleum accountability procedures while soldiers transfer fuel using NATO adaptor kits to connect to French equipment in preparation for Trident Juncture 15. ...
French, Spanish and U.S. service members work together to conduct bulk fuel delivery operations from a French RS-80 fuel bladder to a U.S. M969 5,000-gallon fuel tanker, testing the interoperability of NATO petroleum equipment in preparation for the ...
Sgt. Arthur Kreft, a heavy vehicle operator with the 515th Transportation Company, works alongside Cpl. Jeremy Gudefin, a mechanic with France's 1st Support Petroleum Company, during bulk fuel delivery operations from the French CCP-10 Scania Fuel Ta...
LA COURTINE, France (Sept. 24, 2015) -- Soldiers from the 515th Transportation Company, part of the 16th Sustainment Brigade's 39th Transportation Battalion (MC), fueled a successful demonstration of allied interoperability during tests conducted, Sept. 21-24.
The "Knight's Brigade" Soldiers worked alongside French military petroleum specialists from the 1st Support Petroleum Company, testing logistical interoperability in anticipation of future NATO petroleum support operations.
The 16th Sustainment Brigade personnel, based in Baumholder, Germany, convoyed over 800 kilometers to the French training exercise in preparation for Trident Juncture 15, an upcoming NATO exercise. During the exercise, NATO Joint Logistics Support Group will launch the Modular Combined Petroleum Unit, or MCPU, a multinational fuel support company designed to test the interoperability of logistical support among six NATO members -- France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Lithuania as well as the U.S.
According to exercise planners, Trident Juncture 15 will be the first multinational petroleum support unit concretely demonstrating the strength of allied logistics at the operational level. The MCPU is expected to provide fuel support for air and ground assets for the duration of the exercise.
Platoon leaders forming the MCPU have a diverse range of experiences, coming from four nations. Italian Air Force Sgt. Maj. Nicola Ferulli of the 50th Wing Piacenza serves as a platoon leader with the MCPU for Trident Juncture 15. He said the experiential and cultural differences will benefit all levels of leadership beyond the duration of the exercise.
"There will be junior and senior leaders working together across the MCPU; everyone must share their knowledge and experiences to develop each other," Ferulli said. "Working together before the exercise allows us to be innovative and understand each other better before the exercise."
The 515th Transportation Company recently fielded NATO adaptor kits for the petroleum equipment, enabling compatibility between U.S. and NATO equipment. The equipment ensures that the U.S. element can support Allied assets seamlessly.
"It's important to be able to exchange supplies with our allies; the ability to provide and receive support could make a huge difference in a conflict. That's why we're here -- to develop this capability," said Sgt. Arthur Kreft, the lead noncommission officer from Transportation Company "on the ground" in France.
Throughout the week, French and U.S. service members conducted cross-training on each nation's petroleum equipment, learning to work as a team.
"We are focusing on integrating the Soldiers so that they will learn to communicate with each other. So far, we have seen great cooperation between the international teams as they work together to test the equipment's interoperability," said French Army Capt. Mohamed Aboudi, commander of the 1st Support Petroleum Company.
Spc. Reda Hajnassar, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 515th Transportation Company, doubled as a translator for both French and U.S. leaders.
"I've facilitated a lot of conversations since I've arrived," she said. "I can already tell that soldiers from all of the countries are interested in learning about each other, especially when it comes to the nuances of the different military cultures."
Communication is a challenging task the MCPU seeks to overcome before Trident Juncture 15 kicks off in October. To get ahead of the learning process, Spanish and Italian service members also arrived later in the week to meet the MCPU commander and their future French and American partners.
"The challenge is when you do not make an effort to understand each other's procedures and customs, but being here we already are working on that. We will see only positive international relationships," Ferulli said.
Ferulli believes that working together will not only test the readiness of equipment and personnel capabilities but also expose soldiers and leaders to potential communication barriers so they can tackle the obstacle early.
"Of course there is a language barrier between the teams," said Sgt. Luis Berzosa, a Spanish fuel specialist. "But as long as we make the effort to learn together, I know we will be successful. After all, we already have been."
Related Links:
21st Theater Sustainment Command
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