Fort Riley Air Defense Artillery Completes AMDEX 2020

Photo By Staff Sgt. Steven Galimore | Soldiers assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Infantry Division check for sure connectivity on their assigned AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel Aerial Surveillance Radar during a Division-wide field exercise, June 11, 2020, on Fort Riley, Kansas. This training provided Air Defense Artillery Soldiers the opportunity to hone in on maintenance AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel and the ability to practice early warning alerts and queue Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons to the location of hostile targets approaching their front line forces during deployment. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Steven Galimore, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)  

FORT RILEY, KS, UNITED STATES

06.23.2020

Story by Pfc. Joshua Oh 

19th Public Affairs Detachment

Air Defense units from across the 1st Infantry Division completed an exercise on Jun. 23, 2020 at Fort Riley to enhance their readiness using state-of-the-art threat simulation and radar systems.

“This was the first time we combined units to conducted training using the jam-resistant, encrypted Link 16 communication system to synchronize units monitoring radar for simulated air defense threats over the Division’s early warning network,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Anthony Campbell, a division control officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion. “This advanced level of training is usually only done in preparation for a deployment, but the opportunity to increase our collective readiness was something we felt it necessary to take advantage of.”

Over the course of three weeks, the 1st Infantry's Division Artillery (DIVARTY) brigade worked in tandem with other air defense assets from brigades across the Division to setup sensors that broadcast the simulated air threats and required each to communicate over the secure network. Each unit could see different enemy assets in a particular area and analyze them for threat levels. Campbell explained that by compiling and sharing their unit’s unique radar picture with their higher headquarters, it creates a shared understanding of the battlespace, which resulted in increased accuracy and well-timed action against the enemy force.

“Honing these tactics, techniques, and procedures is crucial for us to quickly and accurately assess and eliminate potential threats that could potentially do a large amount of damage to our forces in the air and on the ground,” said Campbell. “Exercises like this one help bring together Soldiers from DIVARTY with those from the Combat Aviation Brigade and signal companies to ensure that we’re all speaking the same language and maintaining the highest levels of readiness.”

Fort Riley’s Air Defense Artillery units will continue to train with emphasis on advanced communication and targeting systems in the future.

(U.S. Army story by Spc. Joshua Oh, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)

• Date Taken: 06.23.2020
• Date Posted: 07.14.2020 14:52
• Story ID: 373885
• Location: FORT RILEY, KS, US