Photo By Chief Petty Officer Torrey Lee | 160104-N-CJ186-674 U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Jan. 4, 2016) A working party...... read more read more
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U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY - U.S. Navy Reservists assigned to Commander, Task Group (CTG) 56.3 and Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG) conducted expeditionary fueling operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOR).
Providing 30,000 gallons of fuel daily, the NAVELSG fuel farm is supported by 13 Navy Reservists who complete a combined-joint mission to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) assets including U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines, and coalition partners.
“Our fuels mission is unique in that it’s leveraging NAVELSG’s core competency to strengthen an ongoing joint-forces expeditionary mission,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mark Kuntze, the officer in charge of NAVELSG’s fuel farm. “Typically, Reservists are activated as individual augmentees. Here, we’ve shown how we can quickly deploy our fuels capability to any expeditionary environment and deliver sustained support to our tactical operating partners.”
Machinist Mate 2nd Class Joseph Kugot, a fuel engineer in the unit, explained the unit was previously manned by various services, including active Navy individual augmentees and a series of Air Force commands.
These fuel farms in the U.S. 5th Fleet AOR are designed to quickly provide fuel to air and ground forces in an expeditionary environment. They are intended to replace traditional fuel tanks or pipelines when those options are not practical. To accomplish this, an outdoor site is manufactured in the local terrain. Using a series of bladder-bags, the fuel farm unit is able to receive, inventory, distribute, and perform quality assurance checks on fuel while being exposed to the elements.
“We have eight fuel bags and all together it makes up more than 1 million gallons of fuel,” explained Kugot. “Our fuel reaches a lot of different units. On any given day, we could be fueling up Navy and Marine aircraft, and then gassing up Air Force or Army units right after that.”
The high demand of NAVELSG’s fuel farm is maintained by the flexible expertise of the NAVELSG’s reserve unit. Each Sailor is competent in multi-tasking outside his specific job specialty. A fuel farm Sailor can switch between daily accounting and engineering maintenance to quality assurance checks, which involve an onsite chemical testing lab.
“Navy already has a high standard when it comes to fuel quality controls. If you work on a ship you see it every day,” said Engineman 2nd Class Robert Thomas. “Out here, we all come from different walks of Navy and civilian professional experience. These are shipboard guys out here with squadron guys. Some of us have never worked with fuels before. NAVELSG trained us before we deployed, but it’s our different pasts that keep this group working.”
The fuel farm’s capabilities are important in the U.S. 5th Fleet AOR as it provides military leadership with additional flexibility, and this helps the U.S. goals in the Middle East, Kuntze explained.
“We are different than an aircraft carrier,” said Kuntze. “The standards are exactly the same when it comes to high quality fuels. The real challenge comes in dealing with the harsh environment out in the field. The challenges we face are opportunities to perfect joint forces operations. You are only as strong as your ability to work in a joint environment.”
NAVELSG supports operations in U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations by providing fuel to troop logistics, aircraft operations, and various weaponry systems. CTG 56.3 is responsible for intra-theater movement control, cargo processing and logistical planning for operations and exercises.
| Date Taken: | 01.04.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 01.12.2016 06:25 |
| Story ID: | 186087 |
| Location: | U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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