Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise

By Staff Sgt. Candace MundtJune 28, 2016

Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
1 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Ryan Crosby, officer in charge of the Joint Exercise Support Group of Central Accord 2016 discusses logistical requirements with an officer of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, June 12, 2016, at the Cooperative Security L... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
2 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Travis Hilton, electrician with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, screws a fuel line on a generator June 14, 2016, at the Cooperative Security Location in Libreville, Gabon. Hilton is supporting U.S. Army Africa's exercise Central ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
3 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Stewart (left), maintenance supervisor with 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Matthew Little, electrician with Combat Logis... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
4 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Oscar Avina, transportation management noncommissioned officer in charge with 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, discusses transportation for Central Accord 2016 participants with Gabo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
5 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Ryan Crosby (left), officer in charge of the Joint Exercise Support Group of Central Accord 2016, discusses logistical requirements with an officer of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, June 12, 2016 at the Cooperative Sec... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
6 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Stewart, maintenance supervisor with 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, turns on a generator, June 14, 2016, at the Cooperative Security Location in Librevill... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
7 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. Heather Green (right), mayor cell noncommissioned officer in charge, and 1st Lt. Charles Wagenseil, camp mayor, both with 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, discuss billeting at th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
8 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas Bachman, a Motor Transport Operator with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, provides logistical transport support for soldiers that completed the Jungle Warfare course durin... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
9 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin Thompson, a Land Combat Electronic Missile Repairer with the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, assist with transporting supplies to a staging area during this years Central Accord exercise in Libreville, Gabon, June 11, 2016. U... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
10 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Soldiers, with the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, work alongside Gabonese contractors to transport supplies for this year's Central Accord exercise in Libreville, Gabon, June 11, 2016. U.S. Army Africa's exercise Central Accord 2016 is an... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
11 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army 2nd Lt. James Mills, a Transportation Officer with the703rd Brigade Support Battalion, assists with unloading supplies from a C-130 Hercules in support of this year's Central Accord exercise in Libreville, Gabon, June 11, 2016. U.S. Army Af... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
12 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army 2nd Lt. James Mills (left), a Transportation Officer with the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, carries mosquito netting to a transport vehicle in support of this year's Central Accord exercise in Libreville, Gabon, June 11, 2016. U.S. Army ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
13 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin Thompson (left), with the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, works alongside members of the Gabonese Armed Forces to transport supplies for this year's Central Accord exercise in Libreville, Gabon, June 11, 2016. U.S. Army Afric... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
14 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin Thompson (left), a Land Combat Electronic Missile Repairer with the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, works alongside a member of the Gabonese Armed Forces to transport supplies for this year's Central Accord exercise in Librev... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Central Accord 16's force behind the exercise�
15 / 15 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 2nd Lt. James Mills, transportation officer in charge for Central Accord 2016 with 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, watches a truck carrying port-a-johns back onto a landing craft for an 82nd A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

LIBREVILLE, Gabon -- To set up and sustain a U.S. Army Africa Accord-series exercise is no small task and Central Accord 2016 is the largest, most complex USARAF-led exercise to date. In addition to robust field training and command post exercises, the CA 16 Joint Exercise Support Group must also facilitate an 82nd Airborne Division parachute jump, two international jumps and two course iterations at the French Jungle Warfare school.

The JESG's support cell, 25 select U.S. servicemembers, will coordinate for and distribute an estimated 75,000 liters of water, 72,000 meals and 4,200 personnel transports over three weeks to support approximately 1,200 participants at four separate locations, according to Maj. Ryan Crosby, support cell officer in charge with the JESG.

"The biggest success I'd say we've had really is taking the adhoc team and bringing them together," said Crosby, who is also the support operations officer for 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. "Even though most of the support [cell are] members of the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, most of us hadn't worked together before."

According to Crosby, most of his team also hadn't operated in a support cell role previously, but are pulling together to drive forward in the same direction.

"I couldn't be happier with how they've all kind of pulled together here never having worked together before, never having rehearsed this mission," Crosby said. "It was challenging at first, but man, they have really rowed hard in the same direction."

As a battle noncommissioned officer in charge, Sgt. 1st Class Leilani Postell drives daily operations at the support cell. With over 500 exercise participants at two separate locations each and about 100 people at two others, the team of two dozen has to stay connected at all times.

"Right now we're supporting about 16 countries," Postell said about transporting personnel and supplies across their area of operations. "It's a lot of constant movement going back and forth. So, it's a lot of communication, but we're making everything work. If we don't have it, we find other ways to support them."

U.S. Army Africa's exercise Central Accord 2016 is an annual, combined, joint military exercise that brings together partner nations to practice and demonstrate proficiency in conducting peacekeeping operations. It is one of four regional Accords in addition to other missions 2nd IBCT is supporting this year on the African continent as the regionally allocated force for USARAF.

"We support all, we not only support U.S. forces. We gotta remember this is a bigger mission than ourselves," Postell said. "It's the most powerful thing when we put our heads together, its like we get things done really quickly..."

In order to reach logistical mission success, Crosby and his team coordinate efforts with their higher headquarters, 414th Contingency Contracting Battalion, representatives from the Defense Logistics Agency and the Central African nations present.

"We've had great support from our Gabonese partners," Crosby said. "I couldn't be happier with them and how they're giving us, really as guests in their country, all the support we could ask for."

Many U.S. paratroopers strive to jump with multinational partners. 82nd Airborne Division troopers will fly direct from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and will first touch Gabonese soil by parachuting onto Pointe Denis, near Libreville. Once on ground, the support cell will put their plans into action and begin moving the other two airborne operations forward.

Crosby described each logistical detail required: moving troopers back and forth from the drop zone, both by bus and ferry, coordinating and overseeing parachute pick-up with 82nd Airborne Division riggers, and emplacing medical staff and a safety team at the operational area, all while maintaining day-to-day operations for the main exercise.

He expressed his appreciation for support from the 82nd Airborne Division planners and Gabonese partners who helped coordinate timelines and provided transportation assets.

"It was really daunting at first to look at that, but now I'm pretty happy," Crosby said about the overall logistical preparation and execution process for the airborne mission. "My planners and my transportation guys have done such a fantastic job setting this up. I think this is going to be a great operation."

In addition to combined airborne jumps, another primary logistical and sustainment focus throughout CA 16 is Soldier welfare, not just to boost morale but also for overall health.

"The better we can control and make an environment where people can have reliable showers, have hand washing stations, are eating chow that has been supervised by a Department of Defense preventative medicine specialist, all those things mean that the Soldiers most likely will not get sick," Crosby said.

"Sure, we can do expeditionary operations, and we can go as austere as we want, but whenever we can get an opportunity to have a shower, have a Soldier sleep in a room that's a decent temperature, get [him or her] a meal they can consume right before they go into 12 to 14 hours of tough, realistic training ... that's obviously what we want to do whenever that's possible," Crosby explained.

A majority of those elements are monitored and related issues resolved by the camp's mayor cell, an element of Crosby's support team not often utilized during a typical U.S. Army brigade-level field training exercise. Conducting mayor cell and reception, staging, onward-movement and integration operations during CA 16 has proved beneficial for 703rd BSB in preparation for this year's 3rd Infantry Division Warfighter Exercise 17-1 at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

"So the exercise itself will force us to take on exercise muscles that we haven't used in a while," Crosby said. "This has forced us to take a long look at where we're strong and where we're weak and where we can do better, help us improve our standard operating procedures ... and come back with some really great lessons learned so we can do it even better next time."

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