Photo By Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Bryson | U.S. Navy sailor aboard a tugboat moored at Durres Port views Joint Logistics...... read more read more
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DURRES, Abania– DEFENDER-Europe 21 exercises kicked off this month with a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) operation that demonstrated the awesome might of the U.S. Joint Forces, working together with international partners and allies, as they transported more than 800 pieces of heavy equipment and a storehouse of supplies from ship to shore in Durres, Albania. The cargo will be used to support tens of thousands of multinational troops in the field as they engage in DEFENDER-Europe 21 training exercises all across Europe that will demonstrate their ability to respond to any threat or crisis that might occur.
“Having JLOTS in Europe in itself is an amazing achievement for the team, who worked very hard to make this happen,” said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Abdelkadner Hosni, 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) liaison officer to the Office of Defense Cooperation. “More specifically, Bulk Fuel Transfer over-the-shore is truly a great success story for the whole Army and Navy team.”
During the Bulk Fuel Transfer over-the-shore mission, U.S. Navy Sailors and U.S. Army Soldiers successfully pumped 20 thousand gallons of petroleum from a vessel in the Adriatic sea to an unimproved beach in Durres.
This landmark operation has not been performed in Europe since World War Two, and Hosni vowed that now that U.S. Joint Forces have proved their efficiency and mastery in JLOTS capabilities here, there will undoubtedly be a larger, more robust operation in the future.
“We demonstrated how much fire power and U.S. might we can bring into a theater,” Hosni said. “We also showcased our lighterage capability to demonstrate that we can project forces and equipment even in degraded or semi-permissive environments.”
Lighterage is the term used for the method of loading or unloading a ship, or transporting goods, by the means of a lighter, or barge, that can allow access through areas where ports are either damaged or non-existent, or where water depth is not adequate for certain vessels to enter.
While the Port of Durres is a fully serviceable commercial port, the mission here allowed U.S. Forces, working with their multinational allies and partners, to test and demonstrate JLOTS techniques in order to bring necessary equipment and supplies from ship to shore that will provide real time support to multinational troops across Europe during DEFENDER-Europe 21 exercises this year.
Hosni attributed much of the success here to the Albanian military, and particularly the Albanian Navy, who he called “excellent hosts.”
The Albanian military provided facilities and services for U.S. Soldiers and Sailors while their liaison officers coordinated and escorted each and every movement along the way– whether for important guests and officials or heavy equipment, according to Hosni.
In addition, the Albanian Navy provided security for U.S. vessels and personnel at the Port of Durres throughout the exercise.
“There was no challenge big enough to stop or even hinder our complex and grand operation here in Albania,” said Hosni. “The Albanian team is a great partner and we are looking forward to more work together in the future.”
“We are stronger together,” Hosni added.
DEFENDER-Europe 21 is a large-scale U.S. Army-led exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between the U.S., NATO allies and partner militaries. This year, more than 28,000 multinational forces from 26 nations will conduct nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in more than a dozen countries from the Baltics to the strategically important Balkans and Black Sea Region. Follow the latest news and information about DEFENDER-Europe 21, visit www.EuropeAfrica.army.mil/DefenderEurope.
| Date Taken: | 05.10.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2021 08:21 |
| Story ID: | 396527 |
| Location: | DURRES, AL |
| Web Views: | 547 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Mission success for Joint Forces at Port of Durres, by SSG Elizabeth Bryson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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