Florida Air Defenders Train for Multiple Deployments Ahead

STARKE, FL, UNITED STATES

05.06.2019

Story by Sgt. Kenny Naidoo 

164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade

CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER - Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment spent this month participating in Exercise American Shield while at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in preparation for upcoming mobilizations safeguarding the airspaces around both Washington D.C. and Europe.

For most units, training for two different mobilizations concurrently is an unheard-of feat, but as the demand for air-defense units around the world skyrockets, units have adapted to the rising operation tempo.

“We’ve been postured to perform missions within the continental United States to the National Capitol Region as either a firing unit or mission command task force, now we’ve taken on an additional mission in Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve,” said U.S. Army Col. Sean Boyette, commander of the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

In the case of 1st Battalion, this meant back-to-back training exercises, ranging from honing communication skills during Exercise American Shield to integrating with maneuver units during rotations to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“What we're doing here on Camp Blanding is really the crawl phase of our training,” said U.S. Army Capt. Ryan Murphy, intelligence officer for 1st Battalion. “While a lot of these Soldiers have deployed together, we also have tons of new team members who are here to learn from those more seasoned fires professionals.”

While many newer Soldiers may have initially found the exercise daunting, the experience brought to the unit by others who had mobilized in the past ensured mission success.

“Most of my experience with these systems stem from Advanced Individual Training, this is my first time really using these systems in the field.” said U.S. Army Spc. Erik Barcelo, an air defense battle management systems operator. “I learned a lot and feel much more comfortable being able to apply this training to the real world.”

To execute the training, Soldiers of 1st battalion spread out their avenger weapon systems and radar pieces over a mile-long airstrip on Camp Blanding. In missile emplacements surrounded by concertina wire, teams honed their communication and targeting skills during 24 hour training cycles.

“Our teams meshed together thanks to the flexibility, communication and adaptability of each Soldier out here,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven Perez, an air and missile defense crew member. “I’m confident we could deploy at this very moment to achieve our mission if needed.”

• Date Taken: 05.06.2019
• Date Posted: 05.06.2019 16:04
• Story ID: 320957
• Location: STARKE, FL, US