Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar -- Chief Warrant Officer 4 Vicente Rivera, supply systems technician, 401st Army Field Support Battalion-Qatar, is the lead Soldier for ensuring the supply readiness of Army Prepositioned Stocks-5 in Qatar.
“The equipment here is primarily supply and transportation, which are important for any force mobilization,” said Rivera, who is also the supply accountable officer. “In large-scale combat operations, the kind of sustainment capabilities we oversee are what keep our forces mobile, comfortable and adaptable.”
APS-5 in Qatar has tons of supply capabilities, including a large store of Force Provider systems. These are sets of basic equipment used to set up temporary camps in the field. For example, the kitchen equipment needed to serve hundreds of people is stored in one shipping container.
“They’re like a city in a box,” said Rivera. “We have all the basics, including administrative offices, laundry and billeting – anything a unit would need to set up a temporary encampment.”
Originally from Puerto Rico, Rivera has 22 years of military service, with most of that time spent leading supply sustainment operations.
“We make sure everything is tested before it leaves here to support operations,” Rivera said. “Our supply team knows exactly what to do.”