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Vaughn, an artillery sensor support specialist, recently completed his training at Baltic Operations 25 (BALTOPS 25) with Fox Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division.
“Our primary job is to initialize the GPS for a cannon or HIMARS battery and provide meteorological data to the fire direction control center,” Vaughn said. “That ensures the accuracy of every mission.”
Typically, artillery sensor support Marines—also known as surveymen—operate with howitzer units. But Vaughn’s recent assignment with a HIMARS unit provided a rare and unique opportunity to step out of the familiar and into a more dynamic environment.
“HIMARS brings a lot of things to the battlefield,” Vaughn said. “I would say the biggest one is mobility and accuracy over a long, extended range. That’s something that you don’t typically see with a cannon battery.”
The training wasn’t just about firepower. Vaughn and his unit worked through a variety of challenging environments, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear live-fire exercises.
“Training in Mission Oriented Protective Posture gear was tough, but it’s important,” Vaughn said. “It’s important to work in a CBRN environment as it lets us see how we control situations in uncontrollable environments. You never know when you’ll face a scenario like that, and being able to operate in that environment builds confidence.”
The exercises also included high mobility artillery rocket system rapid infiltration (HIRAIN) operations.
These missions emphasize quick infiltration and exfiltration where HIMARS teams use C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft to transport themselves within range of the enemy. They deploy off the aircraft, conduct fire missions and leave within the hour.
“We stress the importance of mobility, something that you don’t see as common in a canon battery,” Vaughn said. “HIRAIN allows us to fly out to the battlefield, eliminate our target and also ensure that our friendlies take no casualties at the same time.”
Though the HIMARS platform was new to him, Vaughn credits training and repetition for helping him quickly gain competence.
“I struggled with the new feeling of working with a HIMARS launcher,” Vaughn said. “However, we got good classes and learned what we needed to do. Repetition is the biggest thing. Repetitions in the sense of accuracy and being fast. At the end of the day, when a real mission comes down, the last thing you want to do is be slow and not know what you’re doing.”
Throughout all the different exercises Vaughn has done here, the constant practice helped him become more competent in his gear and ensure that he knows what to do when working with a HIMARS battery.
| Date Taken: | 06.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2025 09:39 |
| Story ID: | 501149 |
| Location: | KLAIPėDA, LT |
| Web Views: | 8 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fox Battery Adapts For BALTOPS 25, by LCpl Van Hoang, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
