| CPT James Crowley CPT | CPT Harry H. Hungerford |
Fueling the force is perhaps one of the most critical functions of combat logistics. This article details some lessons learned in fuel operations at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, CA. Although Class III (bulk) in the forward support battalion (FSB) is the primary focus, many lessons are universal. Key lessons learned during the draw week, the maneuver phase and the turn-in phase will be covered. Throughout the article, we will also discuss key tactical and technical lessons learned and will conclude with safety considerations. Keep in mind that these lessons are only suggestions that worked for us. You must alter them to fit your unit and your situation.
Equipment draw week is the beginning of the mass confusion known as an NTC rotation. It is not only the week to draw equipment, but is also the time for many other important events. These events include receiving equipment and vehicles shipped from home station, conducting precombat inspections, writing initial operations orders, and just getting acclimated both mentally and physically to the new environment. You should also establish or reinforce important professional relationships during this week.
The first important relationship is with the Class III officer in charge/noncommissioned officer in charge from the main support battalion (MSB). The supply platoon leader and the Class III section sergeant must understand how the operation is going to work. One of the most important considerations here is whether you will conduct trailer-trailer transfer (Figure 1) or bottom-load operations (Figure 2).
Trailer-trailer transfer means that when a fuel push comes to the brigade support area (BSA) from the MSB, the driver from the MSB will leave the M969A1 fuel tanker in the BSA. The driver then hooks up to an empty fuel tanker and backhauls the M969A1 to the division support area. In wartime this method is generally faster and safer. However, in peacetime there are more considerations. The greatest consideration is accountability of the basic issue items (BII) on the transferred trailers. In wartime this is not an issue, but in peacetime accountability of every single item on the trailer is a big issue to the soldier who signed for them. Accountability requires more time during the transfer of the trailers for a hand receipt inventory of the BII. Obviously, if the division support command commander dictates trailer-trailer transfer, then the easiest way to shorten the inventory time is to deploy with a preprinted BII listing for the M969A1.
Another important consideration is training your Class III section on the proper camouflage technique. Trailer-trailer transfer requires tankers to drive from underneath the camouflage nets. For this reason, you must use the "garage" technique so that the camouflage nets do not have to come down each time a trailer drives out. The "garage" technique is a way to raise the nets so that soldiers only roll back the front of the net before the tanker drives out.
Bottom-load resupply also has advantages and disadvantages. In bottom-loading, the tanker from the MSB connects to a tanker from the FSB by hose to simply transfer the fuel from one trailer to another. The greatest advantage is maintaining control of trailers at all times. With the capabilities of the M969A1 trailer, bottom-load resupply is nearly as fast as the trailer-trailer transfer method. However, if soldiers are poorly trained in the bottom-load technique the main disadvantage is a much higher probability of fuel spill. Proper training and a thorough precombat inspection can help end this problem.
The second and perhaps most important relationship is between the customer headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) commander and the supply company commander. This relationship should already exist from past field experiences, but becomes increasingly important at the NTC. The customer needs to know the standing operating procedures (SOP) used by the supply company. The best way to explain your SOP is to conduct officer professional development sessions and noncommissioned officer development programs at home station with all of the key players present. The key players are the supported brigade S4, the support operations officer from the FSB, the customer HHC commanders and support platoon leaders. Also, a representative from each slice element, the supply company commander, the supply platoon leader and the Class III section sergeant are key players. With all of these soldiers together in one location, you can work out such problems as the need for signature cards, supply windows, unfamiliar parts of your SOP, and safety factors. You must work out these kinds of problems before deploying to the NTC to ensure smooth operation.
When getting the vehicles from the draw yard, there are some important things to remember. The first is tanker certification. This involves a process in which fuel in a tanker is recirculated for a given period of time and then sampled. The sample is then flown to a laboratory and tested for sediment, water and other contaminants. Every fuel-carrying vehicle drawn at the NTC or taken to the NTC goes through this process. The biggest problem with this process is insufficient fuel in tanks to perform this test when the tankers are drawn from the tanker farm. This slows the entire certification process. You should consider bringing a tanker from home station to provide the fuel to perform this vital test. The home station tanker can be filled at the fixed fuel point at Fort Irwin and this fuel then used for the certification process.
Bringing a tanker from home station has other advantages. It provides a tractor to remove the trailers from the tanker yard once a soldier signs for them. The tankers and the tractors are in different areas, so moving trailers around is very difficult. Another advantage of bringing a full tanker into the tanker farm for the certification process is the ability to perform many preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS) requiring fuel. Some PMCS include pressure tests, checking hoses for leaks and ensuring the gauges work properly. These checks are crucial because the inspectors will check these areas when the vehicles are turned in at the end of the rotation. Without the fuel from a home-station tanker, these checks are nearly impossible.
The shortage of BII for most vehicles drawn by the FSB is another major problem. Before deployment to the NTC, ensure that your unit gets a list of the BII available and a list of the BII needed from home station. Bring extras to ensure you have all the necessary equipment.
Along with the shortage of BII is a shortage of -10 manuals. If these manuals are hand-carried from home, your soldiers can begin the PMCS on the vehicles almost from day one. Without these manuals in hand, much PMCS effort will have to wait until day three or four when you are able to draw the manuals.
Once you have cleared the first hurdle, draw week, it is time to go to the maneuver box. Some of the following tips may help you succeed in sustaining the force. One of the most difficult problems while in the box is finding the balance between your support and your tactical mission. The modification table of organization and equipment of a heavy division FSB is part of the problem. The supply company is authorized 11 M969A1 fuel tankers, two 5-ton tank and pump units and an M998. This may not seem significant, but the supply company is only authorized 14 soldiers trained in the military occupational specialty 77F (Petroleum Supply Specialist). This ratio of one Petroleum Supply Specialist to one vehicle causes more problems that you can imagine.
A great concern is that these truck drivers are driving without truck commanders. Without other soldiers from elsewhere in the battalion, these drivers will be driving alone. This is unsafe and should be avoided at all costs. The solution is to use any available soldier as a truck commander. Many times the mess section will have cooks that require rides and they can help alleviate the problem.
The equipment-to-personnel ratio impacts other areas as well. One problem is raising camouflage nets during occupation of a new site. Preferably, tankers will be dug in. However, many times the tankers must camouflage above ground instead. With all the other priorities during occupation, these 14 Petroleum Supply Specialists are soon providing security, running communications wire, or serving customers. This leaves a skeleton crew to raise the camouflage nets and also leaves the tankers in a vulnerable position. One possible solution is to train the raising of camouflage nets as a crew drill. Identify the soldiers with the mission of raising the nets, and train these soldiers to raise the nets as if it were second nature.
One of the greatest challenges is maintaining disciplined supply windows. A supply window system that works can provide many advantages to the supporting unit. Such a system allows for maximum predictability, enabling you to plan and set priorities more easily. If you know when your customers will show up, you can then initiate sleep plans, plan time for fighting position improvement, rehearse upcoming missions, and plan training events. This also helps you plan your resupply times.
When considering the cycle of resupply between the customer field trains, the FSB and the MSB, also consider that the field trains and the FSB should be at 100 percent capacity at all times. One distinct problem arises. How can you accomplish this with maximum efficiency? One key is to ensure that when the logistics package returns from the customer support platoon that the vehicles top off immediately with fuel. This keeps the field trains topped off at all times. A second key is to plan the push from the MSB to correspond with the end of your supply windows for issuing to the customer units. This will ensure that the FSB remains at 100 percent capacity for the maximum amount of time. Of course this all sounds easy, but add to this a rapidly changing battlefield, diverse mission requirements and an uncooperative opposing force (OPFOR), and the mission suddenly becomes a new ballgame.
When dealing with fuel in the FSB keep several tactical considerations in mind. If the mission of the brigade is offensive in nature, you can be sure that the OPFOR will gun for your fuel assets. Without fuel, the brigade will fail. Defensive missions also bring a number of considerations. Chances are good the OPFOR will breach the BSA defense at some point, and this means executing the "save plan." The save plan involves rapid displacement of critical assets such as fuel, ammunition and repair parts, as well as command and control elements, to ensure they are not destroyed or captured. Fuel assets are always part of the save plan, so make sure to figure the camouflage net issue into your planning factor when making the timeline for your save plan. In war you would just drive away, leaving your camouflage net and tents in place. However, accountability plays a big role in training, so those camouflage nets will need to go with you.
After the BSA receives either direct or indirect fire, area damage control operations will go into effect. During this operation, you must establish a "boneyard" to simulate cannibalization and to reconstitute notionally destroyed vehicles. In many cases, fuel tankers will be among the primary victims of the attack and will suffer much of the damage. If at all possible, suggest establishing the "boneyard" near your tankers to your chain of command. This will relieve you from the task of pulling down your camouflage nets, in many cases done in mission-oriented protective posture IV. You may pick up some extra responsibilities, such as monitoring the progress of vehicles entering and leaving the "boneyard," but it will be well worth it in the end.
While establishing the BSA, it may be difficult to get enough room to properly disperse the tankers. The best way to solve this problem is to send someone knowledgeable with the security party. Also, ensure that the FSB land manager, usually the S3 or assistant S3, allocates enough space for proper dispersion.
Now that you have successfully sustained the force, it is time to return to the dustbowl and turn in your equipment. Make sure soldiers keep their heads in the game and focus on the mission ahead, instead of focusing on going home. There are a few things to consider that might make the turn-in quicker.
Probably the most important step for a quick turn-in is ordering parts during both the draw phase and during your time in the maneuver box. If you can identify your major problems and order the parts before reaching the dustbowl for turn-in, you will be ahead of the game. Ensure that you have a good organizational maintenance SOP, that your soldiers understand it, and that it is strictly enforced.
Another step for a quick turn-in of Class III equipment is to draw down supplies on hand as you near the end of your time in the box. Redeployment to the dustbowl at 100 percent capacity equates to about 38,000 gallons of fuel if you have 10 M969A1 fuel tankers. That is a lot of fuel to take to the dustbowl and very difficult to get rid of it. Ensure that your support operations officer understands this and closely manages the fuel on hand at this point. If you do redeploy to the dustbowl with a large amount of fuel, there are several ways to get rid of it. If possible, give the fuel to the support platoons from your supported battalions because these platoons will need the fuel to top off their combat vehicles before turn-in. You can also set up a retail point somewhere in the turn-in yard to top off vehicles individually.
The final suggestion about turn-in week is to ensure that your soldiers have a focus. Your soldiers will have one question on their minds at this point: "When am I going home?" It is the leader's job to get them out of this mind-set. Let each one know what his or her specific mission during this phase. It will not only give soldiers a purpose, but it will ensure that you task-organize for success at the same time.
Safety is the final area discussion. In the fuel arena, as with everywhere else, safety must be first and foremost in everyone's mind. First, consider the protective clothing worn by the fuel handler. At a minimum, the fuel handler should have goggles, fuel handler's coveralls, rubber gloves and a Kevlar helmet in case of fuel spilling or splashing.
Next, every fuel dispensing site should have the following equipment: an eye wash kit or full five-gallon jug of water, a pick and shovel, a large drip pan, dry sweep, clear plastic bags, and two fire extinguishers grounded within arm's reach. These items protect the soldier and aid the soldier during a spill or fire. Most of this equipment must be brought from home station because the NTC does not provide it.
Another safety consideration is the soldier's everyday uniform. Many soldiers have been taught not to wear Kevlar helmets while on top of the tankers. Leaders should require helmets at all times for the soldiers' safety. Some reasons given by soldiers include: "My helmet will fall into the manhole cover while I'm gauging" or "The static electricity created by my hair inside my Kevlar could cause a spark." You can address the first statement by telling the soldier to securely fasten the chin strap. The second statement simply is not true. The bottom line is that it makes sense for soldiers to wear their helmets on top of the tankers. However, soldiers should ground load-carrying equipment and weapons before climbing on the tanker so they do not become caught up in the camouflage net.
Before leaving the dustbowl to deploy into the maneuver box, leaders need to ensure that the fifth wheel on each vehicle is set for cross-country mode. This procedure is in the -10 manual for each tractor. Setting the fifth wheel for the cross-country mode allows for more give and greatly lessens the chance for a jackknife or broken fifth wheel due to rough terrain.
The bottom-loading procedure is the preferred method to receive fuel in the BSA. Another method is top-loading. Top-loading is an unsafe practice used when bottom-loading is not possible. The potential for large fuel spills greatly increases when using this method. Also, when top-loading, a large amount of static electricity is generated by the splashing of the fuel inside the tanker.
Desert heat at the NTC causes rapid vaporization and blowing dust that can cause static charges, so ground and bond tankers properly at all times. This will ensure that static electricity build-up dissipates immediately.
Another major problem was with customer units. Because of a shortage of trained fuel handlers, many customer units use, as an example, tank and Bradley crew members as fuel handlers. These may be trained soldiers. However, they may not be aware of all of the safety considerations. When untrained fuel handlers are in your area, you must make sure they follow all prescribed safety standards.
Leaders must ensure all training is conducted safely, and soldiers must be made aware of several vehicle hazards on rotation. Vehicle rollovers are one hazard. Rollovers that can result in fatalities are relatively common in the fast-paced, high stress environment of the NTC. High-centered vehicles are most at risk, particularly when negotiating turns over rugged terrain. Leaders must ensure that rollover drills are rehearsed daily, helmets and seatbelts are worn, and speed limits are not exceeded. Use ground guides in or around staging areas or support areas. Also, ensure soldiers understand when and how to ground guide. Hand and arm signals understood by everyone are a must.
Night operations are a common feature of a NTC rotation. Training at home station should include limited visibility training. Smart noncommissioned officers know how to do this in the daylight. Night observation devices (NODs) will be critical to your success, so ensure they are purged and checked regularly. The most important part of ensuring that NODs work is ensuring that soldiers wear them. The normally clear skies of the Mojave Desert provide excellent night illumination when the moon is out. However, this often ends quickly, leaving soldiers who are not wearing NODs, blind.
Mission success is also in jeopardy if soldiers do not know about local hazards such as tarantulas, snakes, scorpions, and rabid or sick animals. Check sleeping bags and boots before use. Do not feed the animals. Stay away from the desert tortoise if you are fortunate enough to come across one. They are protected by federal law and considered an endangered species.
Weather-related injuries are common during rotations. The desert is an austere environment, and leaders must take every measure to protect their soldiers. Make sure soldiers pack and dress appropriately. Bring cold weather gear, even in the summer months. Most importantly, drink water. Whether hot or cold, all soldiers must continuously hydrate themselves.
In conclusion, the NTC is just that, a training center. Use it to your advantage to train those difficult tasks that you are unable to train at home. The NTC's observer/controllers have a wealth of knowledge that they are eager to share with you if you show them you are willing to learn. Use that experience. Learning is the true key to a successful rotation at the NTC.
CPT James Crowley has a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is also a graduate of the Armor Officer Basic Course, Scout Platoon Leader Course, Infantry Mortar Leader Course, Airborne School, and Quartermaster Branch Qualification Course. CPT Crowley previously served as an Antiarmor Platoon Leader, Tank Platoon Leader, Supply Platoon Leader, Battalion S4, and Battalion Assistant S3 with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado.
CPT Harry H. Hungerford attended University of Maryland. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Bradley Commander's Course, Airborne School, and Quartermaster Branch Qualification Course. CPT Hungerford previously served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Aide de Camp, Reparable Exchange Responsible Officer, and Antiarmor Platoon Leader with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, California.