Photo By Sgt. Alexander Chatoff | A Romanian M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launches a rocket during a...... read more read more
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MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania – The 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Field Artillery Brigade joined Italian and Romanian soldiers for a combined live fire exercise as part of Saber Guardian 23 at Capul Midia Air Base, June 6, 2023. The combined live fire exercise was a large-scale event where American and Italian forces fired the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System and Romanians fired the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
“This is a training in large long range fire in support of large scale combat operations with both Romanian and Italian partners,” said Lt. Col. Derek M. Reeves, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Field Artillery Brigade. “We’re firing MLRS and our partners are firing MLRS and HIMARS today.”
The use of rockets from M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System by each country respectively has increased the value of the training within Saber Guardian 23.
“Being able to perform a live fire at actual targets with real ammunition has significantly more training value than imaginary targets,” said Reeves.
The combined live fire exercise is meant to be a training scenario providing live fire while engineers are able to conduct a wet gap crossing operation.
“The importance of the live fire exercise in Saber Guardian is to ensure that the field artillery can integrate with the other multinationals and the other engineering, infantry, and mechanical units to ensure the success of a wet gap crossing,” said Sgt. 1st Class Matthew McDougall, the Master Gunner of the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Field Artillery Brigade. “Our primary purpose is to ensure that 2nd ID engineers can conduct the wet gap crossing for Saber Guardian.”
Saber Guardian 23 is a component of DEFENDER 23 that is an exercise led by U.S. Army and Romanian Land forces at several locations throughout Romania. The importance of Saber Guardian 23 is to integrate multinational combat forces by conducting training exercises such as medical training exercises or wet gap crossings.
DEFENDER 23 is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa led exercise focused on the strategic deployment of continental United States-based forces, employment of Army Prepositioned Stocks, and interoperability with Allies and partners. Taking place from 22 April to 23 June, DEFENDER 23 demonstrates USAREUR-AF’s ability to aggregate U.S.-based combat power quickly in Eastern Europe, increase lethality of the NATO Alliance through long-distance fires, build unit readiness in a complex joint, multi-national environment, and leverage host nation capabilities to increase USAREUR-AF’s operational reach.
DEFENDER 23 includes more than 7,000 U.S. and 17,000 multi-national service members from more than 20 nations who will participate including, but not limited to: Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2023 03:36 |
| Story ID: | 446350 |
| Location: | RO |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NATO rockets fly from the Black Sea coast in support of exercise Saber Guardian 23, by SGT Alexander Chatoff, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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