Photo By Staff Sgt. Rachel M Korzeniewski | South Dakota Army National Guard’s 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion pose for a...... read more read more
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CINCU, Romania – Soldiers of South Dakota Army National Guard’s 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion trained alongside U.S. and allied nation forces during the exercise Saber Guardian 17 in Romania, July 2-18.
About 110 Soldiers from the battalion trained on their operational capabilities, battlefield integration and fire support coordination with U.S. Army, National Guard and Romanian forces.
SG17, a U.S. Army Europe-led, multinational exercise, takes place in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania with approximately 25,000 service members from 22 partner nations. The exercise highlights participant deterrence capabilities, specifically the ability to mass forces at any given time anywhere in Europe.
“Our mission for Saber Guardian was to deploy to Romania and show our commitment to our NATO allies for our common defense,” said Lt. Col. Paul Hollenack, commander, 5th Battalion, 113th Field Artillery Regiment, North Carolina Army National Guard. “We want to show our interoperability through a fire support coordination exercise and a combined arms live-fire exercise that demonstrates how we can integrate maneuver, air and artillery forces from various partner nations into concentrated effects on the battlefield.”
While participating in SG17, Alpha Battery, 1-147th FA was assigned under the 5-113th Field Artillery Battalion and 1st Cavalry Division Artillery of Fort Hood, Texas. The battery operates the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System, which can fire 12 surface-to-surface rockets in fewer than 60 seconds.
“We are working with 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, the main division in the Army, in conjunction with 5-113th Field Artillery Battalion, a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System unit, to learn the different capabilities and similarities of each other’s launchers while conducting field artillery operations,” said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Tyler, launcher chief, Alpha Battery.
“The 1-147th brought a new and different capability,” said Hollenack. “Being from a different state, they also brought a new perspective on training and how they operate, which we were all able to learn from.”
The exercise gave the units an idea in many ways what it’s like to deploy and fight in a foreign country. Going overseas brings new obstacles for units, such as learning new terrain and increased planning and preparation compared to utilizing the same training area year after year.
“If you look at the fundamental tasks we trained in, they weren’t much different, but we fundamentally changed the conditions in which we operated and that really challenged us in our processes and systems – that is where the learning comes,” said Hollenack.
The 1st Cav. DIVARTY provides fire support coordination and mission command for the training and readiness of field artillery units participating in SG17.
“Falling under division artillery and having them generate the pace of the fire missions we were executing was a new challenge and a growing event for us,” said Capt. Brandon Jarman, commander of Alpha Battery, 1-147th FA. “The live-fire exercise we participated in was a joint-fire mission alongside multiple nations and active duty components – integrating tube artillery and aviation assets is a piece we do not normally get to exercise.”
Tyler said the exercise gave the unit more of an idea on what to expect the next time they’re in a similar situation; for example, coming up with ways to keep the launchers cool during down time and better sleep plans for the crewmembers.
“The most unique aspect about this training is the field time. We normally do not spend this much time in the field,” said Tyler. “The weather has been a challenge, it changes very quickly here and we’ve had rain storms come through in a matter of 10 minutes. That’s something we do not see at home.”
Training alongside allied nations has also created opportunities the units wouldn’t normally have.
“In any exercise or event, you are always coordinating with the units to your left and your right,” said Hollenack. “With the Romanian 83rd Larom Battalion being on our right flank, we have had a lot of direct coordination with deconflicting terrain where U.S. forces are on the battlefield, as well as sharing space for our fire direction center, sharing resources, sharing ambulances and doing combined medevac exercises. That is where our main interaction with Romania comes from in this exercise.”
Part of this training exercise was for NATO and U.S. forces to work together and build relationships.
“Watching the Romanian Laroms fire and conduct their crew drills helped build that relationship and trust,” said Jarman. “It was nice to see that their tactics, techniques, procedures and operations are not that different from ours.”
For the live-fire missions to be successful, the unit needed support from numerous sections. Each component went through their own obstacles to ensure the fire missions were a success.
“The most critical component the unit has is our maintenance section,” said Tyler. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to complete our missions, and they’ll work day and night to ensure our launchers are ready. Communication and the support staff are also key parts in making sure we are successful.”
Fire direction crews had a few hurdles of their own to jump through during this year’s annual training.
“A challenge as a fire direction chief is coordinating fire,” said Staff Sgt. Jesse Holman, fire direction chief, Alpha Battery, 1-147th FA. “We had close air and maneuver elements in our area of operations, overcoming these challenges gave us an opportunity to train in a realistic scenario.”
Jarman said he wanted the unit to concentrate on certain tasks such as survivability, movability and communication – aspects of field artillery that tend to take a backseat to live-fire missions.
“A lot of the credit goes to our guys that have been out in the field working hard,” said Tyler. “This mission was successful because of all the time and effort the lower enlisted and non-commissioned officers put in. They did a great job out here.”
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2017 16:27 |
| Story ID: | 254126 |
| Location: | CINCU, RO |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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