Photo By Staff Sgt. James Avery | U.S. Army Spc. Tyler Tamberelli, a native of Arlington, Texas, center, assigned to A...... read more read more
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DONA ANA CAMP, N.M. (Dec. 9, 2015) – Over a three-day period, 1st Armored Division, Division Artillery (DIVARTY) fielded A Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery, in an effort to revive a critical component to Fort Bliss and 1AD’s field training for its Soldiers: the DART, or Division Artillery Readiness Test.
The DART is a standardized assessment utilized in DIVARTY’s artillery units that measures competency in multiple areas. The test is compiled of field artillery, individual warrior and sustainment tasks. It is designed to establish a standard of proficiency for all artillerymen regardless of their weapon system specialty.
The primary goal of DART was to test readiness capabilities of 4-27 FA though a series of stress missions such as adjusting targets during a fire mission to repelling oppositional forces and counter-IED (improvised explosive device) missions during movement.
During the exercise, 4-27 FA’s Soldiers were put to the test early on as problems with mechanical failure and communications became an issue. Not unexpected though, immediate troubleshooting was brought to bear and they were soon back on mission, and sending rounds down-range.
“Everything is going to have little bumps in the road when they start out,” said Command Sgt. Maj. John Condliffe, 1AD DIVARTY CSM and native of Grand Gorge, N.Y. “But now the Soldiers are getting faster and more efficient, thus mitigating problems before they happen.”
The success of this exercise hinged on three things: Soldier knowledge of their specific job, competent leadership directing troops and the material and resources to get the job done.
“We can execute training two levels up,” said Col. Andrew Rendon, a San Antonio native and commander of 1AD DIVARTY. “While the Battalion focuses on the platoons, getting them trained and certified, DIVARTY focuses on the Battery. When both systems are working effectively, you have two echelons of headquarters focused on one mission, and that benefits DIVARTY.”
The first of its kind for Fort Bliss, the DART is not a new concept elsewhere in the Army. But given Fort Bliss’ unique training environment, it means commanders don’t need to move their troops to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. to effectively train.
“By executing the DART here,” said Capt. Jesus Urrutia, native of Killeen, Texas. “The Soldiers of A Battery are taking their training to the next level. This is the first time many of them have been involved in this type of training, and it allows them to see not just their part in it, but leadership as well.”
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2015 13:55 |
| Story ID: | 184283 |
| Location: | DONA ANA, NM, US |
| Hometown: | ARLINGTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ATTLEBORO, MA, US |
| Hometown: | FORT SMITH, AR, US |
| Hometown: | GRAND GORGE, NY, US |
| Hometown: | HAGERSTOWN, MD, US |
| Hometown: | KILLEEN, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 265 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Bullseye: DIVARTY throws a DART, by SSG James Avery, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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