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WASHINGTON - Last year, there were 51 battalion-sized and higher exercises throughout Europe, including one in Ukraine, with the focus of assuring allies and deterring Russian aggression, said Col. Michelle Letcher.
Those units that participated had to move their people and equipment across multiple nations, she said. To do that required an extraordinary amount of complex paperwork that would allow entry access for U.S. forces in each country.
Making that happen was her command, the 16th Sustainment Brigade, which is headquartered at U.S. Army Garrison, Rheinland-Pfalz, Baumholder, Germany.
BRIGADE'S MISSION
The brigade is in direct support of the 4th Infantry Division when they're forward. They also support three brigade combat teams as part of Atlantic Resolve, and also form partnerships with NATO and other allies, Letcher said.
The core mission is "theater opening, theater distribution and theater sustainment" for joint U.S. forces, she said.
That means fuel distribution for vehicles, ammunition storage and distribution, water production, inland cargo transfer and aerial delivery, she said. Besides that, the brigade advises allies in operational planning.
"We're the only sustainment brigade in Europe, so we're spread thin," she said. "When I was in Afghanistan in 2012, there were three sustainment brigades."
Letcher noted that her brigade also supports U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Central Command.
Capt. Nicholas Greco, commander, 515th Transportation Company, put it this way: "Nothing happens if nothing moves. Nothing moves without fuel."
Tanks and Bradleys, he added, consume a lot of fuel.
MOVEMENT CONTROL
The 16th Sustainment does more than provide bulk fuel. Movement control is big part of the unit's mission as well, Letcher said.
Last year, four movement control teams made up of 84 Soldiers, provided some 5,400 diplomatic clearances across Europe and Africa.
During her 2012 Afghanistan tour, she said, there were 19 movement control teams, so her brigade is doing as much or more with less, she said.
Lt. Col. Steven Dowgielewicz Jr., commander of the 39th Transportation Battalion, said Soldiers cross sovereign borders every day to do their missions, sometimes carrying four or five currencies with them from different countries.
Each border crossing comes with unique paperwork for that country that needs to be completed. The movement control teams often have to show up 30 or even 75 days ahead of the scheduled movement to process the paperwork and make liaison with officials. Many on the team are junior enlisted, he said, noting that it's a big responsibility.
The border clearance mission becomes more difficult, he said, when there's hazardous material like fuel or munitions that will be transported in a convoy.
BIG RESPONSIBILITIES
Letcher said within her brigade, junior Soldiers bear the burden of making some important decisions.
"Sergeants could be advising ambassadors at embassies on freedom of movement and deconflicting friction points between countries," she said. "I believe there's no better place to develop junior leaders than in Europe."
Dowgielewicz said a young lieutenant in Spain was performing a risk assessment for a fuel operation. Officers from NATO countries observed her doing that and now 28 NATO nations adopted her risk assessment.
The 16th Sustainment's senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Maveric Ledbetter, credits junior Soldier initiative for an emphasis on leader development.
He said leader development occurs in both formal and informal settings on at least a weekly basis, with mentoring and counseling being important parts.
"We place a lot of trust in our junior leaders," Ledbetter said. "If they're wearing an American flag, they're representing the United States. We trust them and also let them know the consequences for poor decisions," some of which, he said, could have strategic implications.
REWARDING DUTY
Maj. David Thompson, support operations officer for the brigade, served in the 16th in Germany in the 1990s as an enlisted Soldier.
He said the duty is as rewarding today as it was then. "Every day I wake up looking forward to planning logistics."
A highlight, he said, was in March 2014 when his unit was crossing from the Baltic countries to Germany. They stopped overnight in Prague, in the Czech Republic.
About 10,000 locals visited the Soldiers, he said. Many carried with them photos that had been taken during World War II. "It was a positive outpouring I never experienced when I was in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was unbelievable."
Ledbetter said it's surprising how high the morale is considering the high operations tempo.
"Soldiers are doing what they came in the Army to do and they know the value of their mission," he said.
Greco said "Logistics is not always the sexiest thing, but it's key to successful operations."
Privates and specialists, he said, have internalized what the president has said: "'We will defend Latvia, we will defend Lithuania, we will be here for all our allies and NATO partners.'"
"The American flag means not just freedom for us but freedom around the globe; that's why we get up every day and make it happen," Dowgielewicz said.
Editor's note: This article was produced from interviews conducted Jan. 21, 2016, at the Pentagon by Lance Milsted, Soldiers Broadcasting news director and senior producer.
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 01.26.2016 10:52 |
| Story ID: | 187055 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
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This work, 16th Sustainment keeps units moving across Europe, by David Vergun, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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