Hot Refuel: Part of the Agility Equation

Hot Refuel: Part of the Agility by Major Martin E. Dempsey and Captain Alfred C. Tanner The tenets of Airland Battle can often take on lofty meanings as they are debated in the Army school system. But they have meaning, too, where the track pad meets the road in the MlAl armor battalion. One of the four tenets -AGILITY -seems to us to be the essence of the armor battalion support platoon leader's mission. It is the support platoon leader's job to keep the fuel-intensive tank fleet responsive and on the move. One of his most valuable tools in accomplishing this mission is the hot refuel.

The hot refuel is so called because of the urgency with which it is accomplished, and because vehicles do not shut down during the process of refueling.

Properly planncd and executed, the hot refuel is what makes the sweeping counterattacks of current Airland Battle doctrine possible. The hot refuel is what makes it possible for a commander to pull units out of one part of the battle, move them over extendcd distances, and employ them elsewhcre on the battlefield.

In the 'Thundcr Brigade" of the 3d Armored Division, we practice hot refuel at least once each yuarter. In the 4th Battalion, 67th Armor, hot refuel is part of our unit Mission Essential Task List (METL). Hot rcfuel takes advantage of the capabilities of the My78 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT'). The M978 fuel truck has a 2,500-gallon tank, a 300-gallon-per-minute centrifugal pump, and two hose reels, each equipped with 50 feet of one and one-half inch dispensing hose. Each hose has a 50-gallon-per-minute capacity. There are 12 M978 tank trucks in the armor battalion support platoon. Planning for hot refuel is part of every OPLAN produced in 4-67 Armor. After the battalion S3 has wargamed his concept of the operation, the battalion S4 uses the Class 111 Bulk Pliinning Factors in SB 710-23 (or in USACGSC ST 101-2) and predicts fuel consumption for each phase of the operation.

For example, il the operation will begin with a movement from a tactical assembly area along secondary roads and into an attack position just short of an LD/LC some 60 kilometers away, the S4 can predict how much fuel each tank will need to he "topped off' as it crosses the LD/LC. Such a movement would probably mean one hour of tactical idle (TI) and two hours of road-march along secondary roads (SR). The formula to compute consumption is straightfoward: TlME IN HOURS X CONSUMPTION RATE FOR TI + TlME IN

THE BAT-ARMOR - The S4 computes the fuel required for each tank by dividing the battalion total by 58 (the number of tanks assigned). In this example, the computations work out as follows: 1.0 (675.8) + 2.0 (3,059.8) = 6,795 GALLONS FOR THE BATTALION and 6,795 GAL divided by 58 TANKS = 117 GALLONS PER TANK

This 117 gallons represents 23 percent of the MlAl's capacity. With this information, the S4 know that he must provide each tank 117 gallons of fuel if the hattalion is to cross the LD/LC "topped off." He also knows that at 50 gallons-per-minute it will take the M978 approximately two minutes to bring an individual tank to near capacity. He can now plan the hot refuel.

As with most military operations, the hot refuel planning process begins with a map reconnaissance. The object is to find areas along the battalion's line of march that will support up to eight M978 fuelers parked either abreast or in column at least 100 meters apart. The criteria for selection of hot refuel sites vary little from criteria used in the selection of other sites for military operations. However, ARMOR - May-June 7989 Figure 1. Short Site Configuration Hot Refueling: Two Waysto Set Up the Site Figure 3. Hot Refueling at Night Using Chemlites for Traffic Control traflicability in the hot refuel site is essential because the entire battalion will pass through in about an hour. The hot refuel site is also a very lucrative target and at the same time very vulnerable. The support platoon leader seeks a site with some cover and concealment, but the most effective protection for the hot refuel site is careful 0 PS EC before occupation and rapid use of the lidlity once it is established.

After a map reconnaissance, the support platoon leader conducts a ground reconnaissance and selects at least two hot rcfuel sites. These become part of the service support annex to the S3's OPORD and are annotated on the service support averlay. He selects multiple sites because the kind of operations requiring hot refuel often produce conflicts over possession of terrain among friendly units. He alerts the support platoon sergeant and briefs his platoon on how the hot refuel is to be configured at each site. There are two standard hot refuel configurations: the short site and the long site (figures 1 and 2). Common to each configuration is the preparation of the M978 fuelers, which must be grounded and camoullaged. Two 10-pound fire extinguishers are positioned to the rear of each fuel truck. The support platoon lcadcr establishes traffic control points (TC'P) at the point where the battalion will leave the designated 0 0 0 TANK REFUELING LANE e e 0 I [ D ep TANK REFUELING LANE

0 0 0 DIRECTION 8 F TRAVEL-0 0 0 0 4 TANK REFUELING LANE e m e e e I D

0 0 0 0 Fig. 3 HOT REFUEL AT NIGHT

Green Chemlites 0 Red Chemlites route, at the rear of each group of fuelcrs, and at the point where the battalion will rejoin the designated route.

As tanks enter the hot refuel site, they maintain road march speed. Trained drivers know to fall in on the fuelers and to take their directions from the traffic control points. They position thcir tank adjaccnt to the designated M978. They work quickly, but they have been trained to understand the delicate balance between a sense of urgency and safety.

During limited visibility and at night, chemical lights are used to mark lanes for the tanks (figure 3). Tank crcwman are trained to drive between red and grccn lights, and TCPs guide them into position. All traffic control points and lucl handlers are equipped with filtercd flashlights.

Security at the hot rcfucl site is the result of a combination of the support platoon's heavy machine gun assets, Stinger teams attached to the platoon Tor this phase of the operation, and the arrival of the tank companies. However, as mentioned earlier, clearly the best security for a hot refuel operation is OPSEC and speed.

The hot refuel site must he set up and operational one hour from the time the support platoon leader receives the order to execute it. It will be brokcn down and rcadv to move W minutes after the first tank begins to refuel.

The support platoon leader manages "time at the pumps," based on guidance hc receives from the S4 and battalion executive officer.

Each fuel squad leader in the platoon uses a stop watch to monitor "time at the pumps" for his ARMOR - HEMTT fueler's design permits refueling two vehicles at once, on either side. three trucks. If 100 gallons per tank is the goal, the squad leader allows each tank two minutes on the pump. When that time has elapsed, the squad leader instructs his fuel handlers to pull the hose, and he waves the tank on its way. A tank company trained in hot refuel can pass through a site and receive 100 gallons (2 minutes) of fuel for each tank in about eight minutes. Because each tank receives the same amount of fucl, the first tank into the site is the first tank out, and the battalion's march is virtually uninterrupted. The battalion hits the LD/LC nearly "topped ofP and configured as it wants to be when it makes contact.

When the battalion has passed through the refuel site, the support platoon breaks down its camouflage nets and moves to a designated, secure location. There, it cross-levels the fuel tanks. The empty fuel trucks then move to a support hattalion forward fuel point to draw fuel; the full trucks remain on call to support the battalion. The "Bandits" of 4-67 Armor used the hoc refuel with great success during Reforger '88. We used it both in the counterattack role described here, and while pulling out of dcfcnsivc positions in response to a change in mission. We used it to bring our tank fleet - and attached Bradlcys - to near-full on fuel, and we used it to provide the fleet a one- (SO gallons) or two- (100 gallons) minute burst of fucl until the situation settled and refueling could he accomplished on our terms. We used as many as eight M078 fuelers, and we used as few as four, depending on how quickly the battalion commander wanted companies on the move. We used both short and long sites based on the terrain available.

The hot refuel works. It works because we train with it. It works because our support battalion (S4 FSB) supplies our M978s forward. It works because we take advantage of the capabilities of our equipment. It works, and it adds to our agility on the battlefield.

In Srq>p!vitfg IVkv; Martin Creveld sugests that tactics is the art of the possible, and logistics the art of the practical. In 4-67 Armor, these come together in the hot refuel -part of the agility equation. ARMOR - May-June 7989 Major Martin E.

Dempsey Is the executive officer of 4th Battalion, 67th Armor in Friedberg.

Germany. He is a 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy and a 1988 graduate of the Command and General Staff College. He has served with the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Fourth Infantry Division.

Captain Alfred C. Tanner was commissioned in Armor from Norwich University in 1985 and is a graduate of the Armor Officer Basic Course, the Motor Officer Course, Airborne School, Jungle School, and the German Airborne School. He has served as an M1 tank platoon leader, support platoon leader, and company executive officer. He is currently attending Infantry Officer Advance Course at Ft. Benning.