3-29 FA builds artillery rapport with Romanians at Combined Resolve VIII

Photo By Capt. Scott Walters | A Paladin M109A6 self-propelled artillery crew with Cannon Battery, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducts fire support from a concealed position during multinational exercise Combined Resolve VIII, June 12, 2017. The multinational exercise provided a chance for U.S. and Romanian artillery and fire support teams to pair up in an effort to increase interoperability among NATO Allies. (U.S. Army photo by 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division)  

HOHENFELS, GERMANY

06.22.2017

Courtesy Story

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

By 1st Lt. Adrianne Scott
3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 4th Infantry Division

HOHENFELS TRAINING AREA, Germany – The 3rd Battalion (“Pacesetter”), 29th Field Artillery Regiment, completed rigorous training over the last few weeks that culminated with partnering with the Romanian 1st Battery, 817th Artillery Battalion, 81st Mechanized Brigade during exercise Combined Resolve VIII to provide deep fires for a multinational task force.

During lead-up training to the multinational exercise, the Pacesetters conducted fire support during a week-long live-fire exercise and a separate command post exercise by its parent 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany.

Here at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, the battalion put those skills to the ultimate test during a nine-day force-on-force fight simulating a near-peer adversary. Only this time, the fire support came alongside the Romanian artillery soldiers as part of a 3,100-Soldier multinational brigade called Task Force Iron, led by 3/4 ABCT and composed of land and aviation forces from seven nations.

The chance for 3rd Bn., 29th FA Regt., Soldiers to conduct fires using their M109A6 155mm Paladin self-propelled howitzers next to the Romanians’ wheeled 152mm D-20 howitzers was a unique opportunity to compare capabilities.

“It was a great experience building our interoperability and cooperation with multinational forces, understanding our differences in communication structure, equipment and munitions capabilities, tactics, techniques and procedures,” said 1st Lt. Nathan Fuller, a fire direction officer with 3rd Bn., 29th FA Regt.

During the nine-day fight, the American and Romanian artillery and fire support teams developed a common operating picture during constant defensive and offensive operations.

The forces combined to fire 7,017 rounds on 468 missions, including notionally launching six family of scatterable mines (FASCAM) targets. The combined efforts notionally destroyed 19 tanks; 33 mechanized fighting vehicles; 84 mortar and artillery pieces; 20 counter-fire radars; and 75 air defense systems in nine days.

“Doing my job as an artilleryman is always exciting, but including our NATO Allies and learning their equipment and how they operate made my job even more exciting during Combined Resolve. I really enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing a different culture,” said Pvt. Kyla Fields, of Battery C, who is on her first deployment and in Europe for the first time.

The Pacesetter Battalion is part of the Iron Brigade’s nine-month rotation as the regionally allocated land force for U.S. Army Europe’s Operation Atlantic Resolve, functioning as a deterrent force against aggression in eastern Europe. The focus of Combined Resolve VIII was to demonstrate the ability of Allied and partners forces to mass fires effectively.

• Date Taken: 06.22.2017
• Date Posted: 06.22.2017 10:07
• Story ID: 238764
• Location: HOHENFELS, DE