ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers assigned to the Forward Support Company, 411th Engineer Battalion, 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 9th Mission Support Command, planned and executed joint aircraft refueling missions in support of Exercise Valiant Shield 26 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
"The intent is to actually have Army fuelers using Army equipment fueling Air Force airframes and learning how to do this with them and using Air Force equipment," said Lt. Col. Charles Clark, deputy commander of the 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.
"This refueling operation was the first time that the 9th MSC was participating with the refuelers actually refueling an aircraft," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Luis Vargas, brigade maintenance officer for the 303rd MEB. “We were the ones owning the mission to completion, to the trucks, the fuel, the personnel, and everything in between,” said Vargas. “[Valiant Shield] opens a window where we can now put our fuelers to do these types of exercises in the future.”
Vargas said the mission allowed the Army Reserve fuelers, who come from American Samoa, to synchronize capabilities with active component Soldiers and the U.S. Air Force while giving them experience beyond their traditional role of refueling tactical vehicles such as Light Medium Tactical Vehicles.
"It was an incredible experience and truly an honor to be part of something so historic," said Sgt. Soonafai Seloti, one of the Army Reserve fuelers who refueled U.S. Air Force aircraft during the operation. "Working alongside the United States Air Force showed us just how important joint partnerships are, and I learned a lot by seeing how another branch operates."
"Being from a small island like American Samoa makes opportunities like this even more special," said Seloti. "We are excited for our other battle buddies in the same MOS to experience this in the future."
Exercises such as Valiant Shield allow forces across the Indo-Pacific the opportunity to integrate Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, and allies to train in precise, lethal, and overwhelming multi-axis, multi-domain effects that demonstrate the strength and versatility of the joint and combined force.
Behind every maneuver element is a sustainment force that enables combat operations. From fuel distribution and field feeding to logistics planning and transportation, sustainment Soldiers provide the expertise that allows joint forces to project combat power and maintain operational tempo throughout the exercise.
The sustainment operations led by the 303rd MEB during Valiant Shield 26 are part of U.S. Army Pacific's Army Support to Other Services initiative, which integrates Army capabilities with the joint force to enhance interoperability and provide critical sustainment, logistics, and operational support during large-scale exercises.
Soldiers within the 9th Mission Support Command are also supporting other U.S. Army Forces operations on Tinian during Valiant Shield by providing sustainment services, including laundry and showers, allowing participating units to remain focused on mission execution and training objectives.
“A lot of the Army’s capability for sustainment and support lies in the Army Reserve,” said Clark. “The 9th MSC is the furthest Reserve element in this theater, and so a lot of those services are going to be coming from Compo 3 [U.S. Army Reserve] Soldiers.”
Valiant Shield 26, the 11th iteration of the exercise since it began in 2006, is being conducted June 20 through July 1. The multilateral joint field training exercise brings together U.S. forces, allies, and partners to strengthen interoperability and demonstrate the ability to operate together across all domains in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.