No supplies would have reached British troops at the forefront of a major NATO exercise without their logistic supply specialists.
It is the duty of the Royal Logistic Corps to supply and maintain the British Army whenever and wherever it is called upon to serve.
Everything from bottles of water and ammunition to ration packs and vehicle parts arrive at their base in large ISO containers.
Soldiers from 94 Supply Squadron, The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment (QOGLR) and Zulu Troop 21 Squadron 9 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, have ensured that British troops have had a constant supply of food, fuel, ammunition and parts, essential for the UK’s contribution to Exercise Steadfast Defender 24.
94 Supply Squadron QOGLR, 9 Regiment RLC
94 Supply Squadron QOGLR is made up of 60 Logistic Supply Specialists who are masters at acquisition, tracking and distribution.
Based in Barker Barracks, Germany for the duration of the exercise, the Squadron makes sure every piece of equipment and all incoming supplies are officially received and receipted.
Everything from bottles of water and ammunition to ration packs and vehicle parts arrive at their base in large ISO containers.
Everything is unpacked, booked onto the military tracking system, and assigned a military stock number that will be used to carry it through the supply chain. The products must then be repacked to meet the requests received by the forward units.
Material Troop Section Commander Corporal Subash Gurung said:
“The exercise is going well. It’s a good experience for the younger Privates who haven’t deployed before, and I enjoy passing on my knowledge gained from ten years doing the job.”
Officer Commanding 94 Supply Squadron Major Rory Irvine said:
“Our role is to provide effective and efficient support to the front-line troops.
"Inventory management is a crucial part of the process to ensure a smooth and effective supply chain and avoid over or understocking. It means we can be certain of what we hold in stock and where it is in the supply chain process.”
94 Supply Squadron holds the bulk of the stock at Barker Barracks and once they receive a unit request, the soldiers prepare it for dispatch.
The highly trained drivers of Zulu Troop 21 Squadron are relied on to transport the stores to the forward-based combat troops.
Zulu Troop 21 General Supply Squadron, 9 Regiment RLC
Zulu Troop Commander Lieutenant Nathan Yates said:
“We transport the goods to the Divisional Supply Area where all the supplies are handed over to 10 The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment (QOGLR).”
Once the supply point is reached, everything happens very quickly and the supplies are offloaded.
There are four classes of supplies: ammunition, food and water, general support stores such as clothing, fuels, oils and lubricants and engineering stores including pickets and razor wire.
Zulu Troop can have up to 18 vehicles carrying tons of supplies on the road at any one time. The 38 drivers are split into teams of two and drive an average of 1000km per trip (500km each way) to the exchange point with QOGLR.
“They are driving big distances, which they love doing,” said Lieutenant Yates.
“Due to the distance involved, the drivers will stop overnight before returning the next day. Some of them are junior soldiers who haven’t been on an exercise such as this.
"It’s a great experience for them and the older, more experienced solders enjoy passing on their knowledge.”
The Troop is equipped with 16 Enhanced Pallet Load Systems (EPLS), each with a load capacity of 15,000kgs and able to carry 20ft ISO containers.
The Royal Logistic Corps is the largest body of troops within the British Army. It has a diverse range of trades and skills that enable it to live up to and deliver its motto, “We Sustain”.
It is the duty of the Royal Logistic Corps to supply and maintain the British Army whenever and wherever it is called upon to serve.