SEMBACH, Germany – The U.S. Army NATO Brigade G4 office hosted training for 16 unit supply specialists from across Europe Feb. 28 to March 4.
The supply specialists are members of either battalion S4 offices or company supply offices in Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and Turkey.
“The purpose of this week’s training is to increase the skills and abilities of our 92 Yankees (supply specialist military occupational skill identifier) across the theater,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Paula Bailey, U.S. Army NATO Brigade property book officer. “We also offer this training to give them the opportunity to network with others in their occupational field, build a cohesive team across the brigade’s area of operations and impress on the staff the importance of command supply discipline.”
The training consisted of classes, briefings and presentations, and individual and group practical exercises.
Bailey, originally from Port St. Lucie, Florida, said the G4 team recognized the need for the training because of a lack of knowledge across the command that includes support to 44 NATO organizations across 37 locations in 21 countries, but also because the Soldiers need an opportunity to develop as a community of practice.
“This is the first time they are coming together,” said Bailey. “Some people in the same battalion don’t even know each other. They see emails and names, but they don’t know a face. At this week’s training they get to network with their sister companies within their battalions but also within their brigade.
“Now they have a network of people they can reach out to when they need help or advice. And they have contacts for questions when they are trying to apply what they learned in the class,” she said.
Spc. Tyler Gaillard, A Company, Allied Forces North Battalion in Brunssum, Netherlands, said he really needed the training because his current assignment is very different from his last assignment at the 101st Airborne Division.
“This was also good for me to get to know other supply specialists and supply sergeants,” said Gaillard, from Dover, Delaware. “We are so spread out around Europe, it was great to be able to meet the students and the instructors while also learning new skills in the classroom.”
Sgt. 1st Class Theodosia Brown, U.S. Army NATO Brigade G4 NCOIC, said the training focused on processes and procedures with special attention to changes in the career field.
“We are educating them on implementing the processes and procedures and teaching them what right looks like,” said Brown, who hails from Alma, Georgia.
Bailey said the course of instruction was purposely developed as a high-intensity information overload.
“Barriers have been broken down this week,” said Bailey. “The Soldiers were eager to learn. They’re asking questions, taking notes.
“They’re going back to their organizations and use what they learned this week and implement those things to make their organizations better. Some of the things they learned just yesterday are going to apply to real-world missions they have coming up as soon as they finish here,” she said.
Staff Sgt. John Stepp, C Company, Allied Forces North Battalion in Szczecin, Poland, said he really needed the training, especially the instruction on GCSS-Army because he worked outside the normal supply specialist duties in his previous assignment.
“For some of the younger Soldiers who are still new to the Army, this is just great information for them,” said Stepp, from Huntington, West Virginia. “They get a lot of on-the-job training, but all of the information in this classroom environment is kind of like drinking out of a fire hose.
“But it’s a lot of good information for them to get,” he said. “It might take them several years to accumulate under normal work conditions, but they will get it all at once here.”
Bailey said the G4 leadership is “considering ways to continue professional opportunities for the 92 Yankees including quarterly online meetings, updates on current changes, and other areas that were not covered during the training session.”
“We need more training like this for all the Yankees to come together and share each other’s knowledge about the job and to learn about each other’s workplaces, strengths and weaknesses,” said Spc. Magalii Tuiuli, HHC Allied Forces South Battalion in Naples, Italy.
“I know how to do my job better,” said Tuiuli, from Taputimu, American Samoa. “Now I understand better what we have to submit to the battalion, and I understand my role in the work, and what I have to do to help my PBO do her job.”
Brown’s advice to unit supply specialists is to “continue to read the regulations and ensure you know how to do your job. Don’t become complacent.
“Nobody knows everything about this field,” she said. “You have to continue to push yourself to develop professionally."
U.S. Army NATO Brigade provides support to Soldiers and their families to provide ready and resilient Soldiers to the NATO alliance, maintain our joint and multinational partnerships and enhance the alliance. The brigade is the U.S. Army support element for units at 81 locations in 22countries.
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