MECHANICSBURG, Pa. -- Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) issued a biofuel mix to the USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO-187), several U.S. aircraft, and one Australian helicopter for use during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise and the Great Green Fleet demonstration July 18.
The issue supports one of the Secretary of the Navy's Energy goals -- to deploy a carrier strike group on biofuel.
The NAVSUP Energy Office, a charter member of the "Great Green Task Force," provides Naval bulk petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) logistics support services to operational commanders and is the Navy and Marine Corps' service control point for bulk POL, known as "Class III" in joint logistics. This includes all things related to fuel from policy, management, inventory, engineering support, requirements determination and fuel quality and control.
"Reducing our dependence on foreign oil is strategic in many ways," said Rear Adm. Mark Heinrich, commander, Naval Supply Systems Command and chief of Supply Corps. "What the Navy has done with alternative fuels in the short-term is going to create opportunities to make a long-term dent in our traditional fossil fuel usage. Simply parking the ship at the pier because the price of fuel gets too high isn't an option."
The Great Green Task Force was established to oversee the logistics and planning for the ongoing effort to deploy a Great Green Fleet in 2016. As a member of this task force, NAVSUP Energy is charged with leading the Fuel Requirements and Acquisition Group.
NAVSUP Energy was also given the task of managing all fuel logistics for the July 2012 Great Green Fleet demo. Special fuel accounting procedures for the biofuel blends were developed in tandem with Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy and fleet stakeholders for use in this exercise.
NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Puget Sound, Bremerton, Wash., was chosen as the approved biofuel storage site for the Great Green Fleet event.
The Navy and Marine Corps are 28 percent of DOD's usage for all fuel products, with an annual usage of 32.4 million barrels (1.4 billion gallons). This equates to almost $4.2 billion in sales.
"I understand there is concern about the current costs of alternative fuels," said Capt. Willie Robohn, director, NAVSUP Energy Office. "We need to work with industry now while prices are relatively stable to develop the production capability for alternative fuels. The cost would be so much greater during a period of crisis."
Co-located with DLA Energy in Fort Belvoir, Va., NAVSUP Energy also partners with the fuel offices of the Air Force Petroleum Agency and the Army Petroleum Center.
NAVSUP manages 16 deep-water terminals, primarily co-located with the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Centers, and 26 air station operations, to include joint base operations at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Joint Reserve Bases at Fort Worth, Texas, and New Orleans, La. Additionally, NAVSUP Energy provides oversight support to 20 Marine Corps air stations and ground operations under the operational control of their respective Marine Corps Air Stations and Bases. The Class III, bulk petroleum supply chain for the Department of Defense is a collaborative effort with the Defense Logistics Agency that began in 1992. Their expertise and working capital funding have created a joint, end-to-end supply chain that has been optimized over the past 20 years through the integrated material management of DOD fuel products. This partnership is a key component of the DoD's joint logistics capability.
The NAVSUP and Navy Supply Corps team share one mission -- to deliver sustained global logistics capabilities to the Navy and joint warfighter. NAVSUP/Navy Supply Corps' diverse team of more than 25,000 civilian and military personnel oversee a diverse portfolio including supply chain management for material support to Navy, Marine Corps, joint and coalition partners, supply operations, conventional ordnance, contracting, resale, fuel, transportation, security assistance, and quality of life issues for the naval forces, including food service, postal services, Navy Exchanges, and movement of household goods. The NAVSUP/Navy Supply Corps team forms a vast network of professionals who deliver unparalleled products and services to customers in the fleet and across the world.
