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Personnel in support of Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) connect a fuel line to merchant tanker Yosemite Trader, initiating the ninth transfer of fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Dec. 4, 2023. Having successfully completed gravity defueling of the RHBFSF tanks to the seven-foot level on Nov. 17, JTF-RH will remove the remaining usable fuel from the bottom of the 14 storage tanks. JTF-RH is in the fifth and final phase of its defueling plan, where JTF-RH along with Defense Logistics Agency Energy and Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, are safely defueling the RHBFSF. This stage saw the removal of more than 99.5 percent of fuel, with planned strategic pauses for safety checks, and transporting the fuel to various locations throughout the Pacific. Phase 5 defueling continues with JTF-RH removing the flowable tank bottoms, unpacking the fuel pipelines, and removing residual fuel located in the surge lines and portions of the tank gallery. JTF-RH is expected to empty the tank bottoms by Dec. 8, and will complete its defueling mission at the end of Phase 5, which is projected to end no later than March 31, 2024. (DoD photo by U.S. Army Spc. Johanna Pullum)