Dynamic Front 19 shows diversity is strength

Photo By Staff Sgt. John Onuoha | U.S. Army Soldiers, along with ally and partner nation soldiers discourse various target points on a map during exercise Dynamic Front 19, March 4 at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. Dynamic Front 19 is a multinational exercise conducted by the U.S. Army in Europe designed to improve allied and partner nation ability to deliver long-range fire capabilities. It allows Allies to connect personally, professionally, technically and tactically to create stronger and more capable forces in time of crisis. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Onuoha / Released)  

GRAFENWOHR, BY, GERMANY

03.06.2019

Story by Sgt. John Onuoha 

24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany – U.S. Army Soldiers, along with ally and partner nations, integrated joint fires and tested interoperability during exercise Dynamic Front 19, March 4 – 8.

Dynamic Front 19 is a multinational exercise conducted by the 7th Army Training Command, U.S. Army Europe, designed to improve allied and partner nation ability to deliver long-range fire capabilities.

The exercise focused on the readiness and interoperability of U.S. Army joint service, and partner nations’ artillery and fire support working together with a system called Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities (ASCA), said Maj. Andrew Champion, a U.S. Army Europe lead planner with USAREUR G3 Fires.

The purpose of ASCA is to improve and maintain a stable operational interface for field artillery and fire support command and control systems of the participating nations.

“Our diversity is our strength,” said Champion. “We only have to focus on one adversary, but our adversary has to focus on more than 27 nations.”

For the first time ever, Dynamic Front 19 tested the interoperability of ASCA distributed across the nations of Germany, Poland and Latvia with the Theater Surface Fires Command (TSFC) leading from Germany.

TSFC is a USAREUR fires element concept to plan, coordinate and execute joint and allied fires through organizational mission command.

ASCA allows participating nations to receive or provide mutual fire support, and the interface supports sharing key command and control fire support information.

“It is important to be able to come together as a coalition and control fire,” said Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Wagner with 197th Field Artillery Regiment, New Hampshire Army National Guard. “Artillery isn’t about just sending rounds down range, it’s also about being precise, it’s about being on time and making sure that we are controlled, shaping the operation. In order to do that, we need to be able to share information.”

Nations currently using ASCA include the United States, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.

The exercise included approximately 34,000 participants from 27 NATO and partner nations, said Champion.

“The more we work with them [ally and partner nations], the more we learn from them,” said Wagner. “The more they are learning from us, we get to share different ideas.”

Dynamic Front 19 allows Allies to connect personally, professionally, technically and tactically to create stronger and more capable forces in time of crisis.

• Date Taken: 03.06.2019
• Date Posted: 03.07.2019 02:20
• Story ID: 313199
• Location: GRAFENWOHR, BY, DE