FORT BELVOIR, Va.–Defense Logistics Agency Energy conducted its J20 Petroleum Quality Assurance Course at Defense Fuel Support Point, or DFSP, Okinawa in Japan from April 6-24, marking the first time the course was hosted at an active DLA fuel facility.
The J20 course, for Quality Assurance Representatives, or QARs, is traditionally taught at the Petroleum, Water and Energy Department at Fort Lee, Virginia. The three-week course brought 25 students to Okinawa for a blend of classroom instruction and hands-on training in an operational environment.
Richard Vicenty,DLA Energy Quality Training Program Managerand lead instructor for the course, said DFSP Okinawa allowed instructors to expand practical training opportunities beyond what is typically available in a classroom setting.
Vicenty, who has been in the position for two years, aimed to integrate industry-based standardization and other course updates based on his field experience. He emphasized that the Indo-Pacific team on ground was pivotal in enabling thetraining inOkinawa.
“I feel like there was a lot of value for us to be able to do the course on our own playground, and witness how DLA is conducting operations in another region,” added Vicenty. “We were able to leverage the location by developing a new type of gaging [petroleum measurement] exercise right there on actual DFSP ground.”
Annually, DLA Energy conducts two J20 courses which are open to all military services. The course is mandatory for all quality assurance specialists to complete the Quality Technical Certification Program.
Students received hands-on exposure to laboratory operations, fuel storage facilities andaircraftrefueling activities. One of the course highlights was the opportunity to board a vessel conducting a fuel discharge operation.
“The biggest takeaway from this entire course, in my opinion, was our ability to actually board a vessel that was slated to conduct a discharge operation,” Vicentyadded.“While on boardstudentswere able to observe samplinganddischarge operations, tour the control room and speak toship personnel.”
Hosting the course in Okinawa required extensive planning and coordination. Michael Meacham, quality manager for DLA Energy Indo-Pacific, said securing lodging for 25 students and coordinating transportation across the island were among the largest challenges. His team also worked closely with facility personnel to ensure training activities did not interfere with ongoing fuel operations.
“We were able to conduct the training in an active laboratory, tank farm, and marine receiving facility,” Meacham said. “This required close coordination with DLA Energy Okinawa operations personnel to ensure our training didn’t impact real-world operations.”
For Makayla Draper, a DLA Energy Pathways to Career Excellence participant, the operational environment helped connect book knowledge and on-the-job instruction to real-world missions.
“The one thing that really stuck out to me was we got to board a vessel scheduled for a discharge operation,” Draper said. “I was able to witness sampling, gaging operations, in addition to other QAR activities.”
Draper said the experience provided practical context for concepts she had previouslyencounteredonly through training materials and coursework.
“It really reinforced things that I’ll be dealing with as a QAR in the future,” Draper said. “It highlighted the importance of flexibility and how local operations directly impact the broader DLA mission.”
Vicenty mentioned that the course is designed to providea strong foundationfor future quality assurance professionals and military service partners who support fuel operations around the world.
“We don’t expect folks to walk away from our course to be complete subject matter experts,” Vicenty said. “But we want to lay a strong foundational understanding of quality operations, understanding quality assurance, quality surveillance, a good background in contracting and a very solid understanding of responsibility in terms of conducting research and investigations.”
AloJapan.com