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The U.S Air Force’s 154th Air Expeditionary Wing’s petroleum, oils and lubricants Airmen joined forces with the Royal Australian Air Force’s 13th Squadron to boost fueling operations across northern Australia, overcoming qualification barriers during Talisman Sabre 25.
The two teams discovered a pitfall and fast tracked driver certification for U.S. Airmen to operate Australian High-Capacity Transport trucks and hydrant vehicles at RAAF Bases Darwin, Tindal and Berrimah. Air National Guard members played a key role, using their civilian commercial driver’s licenses as a basis for qualification.
“This wasn’t just about checking a box — it was about solving a capability gap in real time,” said Master Sgt. Paul Olmos, 154th AEW POL superintendent. “By aligning standards and leaning on our partnership, we delivered a solution that directly supported joint airpower projection.”
Olmos worked directly with his RAAF counterparts to align licensing processes and secure approval for on-site training provided by Australian instructors.
In total, nine Airmen qualified on the HCT, the first U.S. and Australian certification of its kind during TS25, with 16 receiving credentials for all other POL vehicles. These efforts increased available manpower by 85% and improved high-capacity fuel delivery by 64% during peak air operations.
“What we achieved is a benchmark in interoperability,” said Olmos. “This training expanded the team’s operational reach while reinforcing our shared commitment to readiness in the Indo-Pacific.”
The team supported 492 refueling operations for five nations, servicing more than 8 aircraft, including the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor and C-130 Hercules, totaling more than 2.5 million gallons of fuel.
Each Airman’s qualifications were formally documented in Airman’s Australian Defence Force Driver Qualification Log “Blue Book”, granting future fueling permissions at ADF installations and setting a precedent for continued joint integration.
The team’s efforts were recognized by the Air Force Interoperability Council as the gold standard for Five Eye joint integration in distributed logistics and will be featured in an upcoming AFIC report.
“The [aviation refueling] section was the best in terms of interoperability during Talisman Sabre 25 that we observed in the weeks we have been here,” said RAAF Flt. Lt. Tim Hopkins, a member of the FVEY AFIC verification and validation team.
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2025 01:00 |
| Story ID: | 543968 |
| Location: | RAAF BASE DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AU |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USAF, RAAF team up to expand fueling capabilities during TS25, by SSgt Daniel Brosam, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
