Soldiers join multinational fuel company for Trident Juncture

By Sgt. 1st Class Michael O'brienOctober 19, 2015

Soldiers join multinational fuel company for Trident Juncture
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – French army Warrant Officer 2 Frederic Sadowski, communications information systems chief, updates U.S. Army Soldiers, from 16th Sustainment Brigade, and French army 1st Petroleum Support Company at a rest area near Roussilon, France, during a convoy... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers join multinational fuel company for Trident Juncture
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army 1st Lt. Stevie Hasenfus, right, a platoon leader with 515th Transportation Company, and French army Capt. Mohamed Aboudi, left, commander of the 1st Petroleum Support Company, discuss crossing a border with a Spanish highway patrolman outsi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers join multinational fuel company for Trident Juncture
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – French army Warrant Officer 2 Frederic Sadowski, communications information systems chief with French army 1st Petroleum Support Company, assists U.S. Army Sgt. Arthur Kreft, a squad leader with 515th Transportation Company, with paying a highway tol... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers join multinational fuel company for Trident Juncture
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. June Baylon, a heavy-wheeled vehicle operator with 515th Transportation Company, and French 1st Petroleum Support Company specialist Cpl. Jacob Abam work together near Carcassone, France, before starting the second day of a convoy to Z... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ZARAGOZA, Spain (Oct. 19, 2015) -- Joining French army counterparts near Lyon, France, Oct. 5, 515th Transportation Company Soldiers then completed a 700-mile convoy from Smith Barracks, Germany, to the Joint Logistics Support Group headquarters near Zaragoza, Spain, for Trident Juncture 2015.

"These fine transportation Soldiers have convoyed more than a 1,000 miles to support almost every nation within the alliance," said Capt. Nicholas Greco, commander of the 515th Transportation Company. "The opportunity the 16th Sustainment Brigade has here is to decentralize operations by empowering junior leaders, allowing us to support U.S. Army Europe and NATO."

The 16th Sustainment Brigade demonstrated its adaptability by contributing a platoon to the French army's 1st Petroleum Support Company with mission command of the multinational bulk fuel company called a Modular Combined Petroleum Unit, or MCPU. Other countries composing the MCPU include the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.

"As a part of the MCPU, we get to work with fuel units like ours from other NATO countries that we haven't previously had the opportunity to work with before," said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Stevie Hasenfus, a platoon leader with 515th Transportation Company. "It will be exciting to practice convoy operations with our international allies at the exercise."

The U.S. and French units worked together last month during an exercise testing the interoperability of both units' petroleum equipment. The convoy continued to build the relationship by introducing both nations' convoy operations and procedures.

"The convoy to Spain with the Americans was a good experience, especially learning the radio procedures and the vehicle intervals," said French army 1st Lt. Marie Muller, a transportation platoon leader with 1st Petroleum Support Company.

Arriving at the training area near Zaragoza, the convoy of more than 40 vehicles began to establish the fueling site, integrating with the other contribution nations.

"This was a good start for us going into the [NATO] exercise," said French army Capt. Mohamed Aboudi, commander of the 1st Petroleum Support Company. "I was happy to share the convoy with my U.S. colleagues."

The MCPU will provide a combined bulk fuel capacity of 25,000 gallons of jet fuel and 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel during Trident Juncture, supplying both aerial and ground vehicles. Bringing together 36,000 troops from more than 35 countries, Trident Juncture is the largest NATO exercise since 2002.

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Trident Juncture 2015

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