Photo By Staff Sgt. Rose Di Trolio | An Estonian Defense Forces M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) fires a...... read more read more
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UNDVA, Estonia — U.S. Army soldiers from Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 75th Field Artillery Brigade, supporting Task Force Voit, observed and advised the Estonian Defense Forces Divisional Artillery Battalion's Rocket Artillery Battery during their first live-fire crew certification for their new M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems on July 11, 2025.
U.S. Army soldiers from TF Voit advised the Estonian Defense Force (EDF) Rocket Artillery Battery during their week-long training to enhance EDF soldiers' proficiency in operating the HIMARS. The training concluded with the first live-fire exercise as a unit, establishing the EDF as a fully independent, operational HIMARS unit capable of delivering lethal, long-range, precision fires to support Estonian and NATO forces on the battlefield.
“It's pretty significant because this is the first HIMARS live-fire they've done, and it's going to allow them to be qualified and have all their crews certified. It's great seeing their level of excitement and how prepared they want to be and the pride they have in this kind of mission,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Skyler Rosekrans, an advisor from Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 75th Field Artillery Brigade.
TF Voit was created in 2023 to deter adversary forces and strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank with long-range precision fires. It also emphasized support for establishing the EDF’s HIMARS battery by providing training and assistance in maintenance, field operations, and large-scale fire exercises.
According to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Andrew Underwood, chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation in Estonia, the training support from TF Voit was key in enabling the EDF to execute a live-fire operation within two months of receiving their HIMARS.
“Last two, three years we have cooperated with Task Force Voit. They teach Estonians, not only active duty, but also reservists with the HIMARS Academy for maintenance, launcher crew operations and different academies,” said Estonian Defense Force Sgt. 1st Class Margus Oras, Rocket Artillery Battery. “It's a very emotional day. A big part of this emotion is a thank you for American soldiers and TF Voit.”
In 2022, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of HIMARS to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in response to rising demand from NATO allies after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Estonia is the first of the three Baltic nations to receive and deploy the HIMARS.
“Lithuania and Latvia are also procuring the same system and the lethality of all three countries together is something that's pretty remarkable. You add to that countries like Poland and Romania, and across the alliance, a focus on long-range fires means a lot that Estonia is creating a capability for themselves, but also a capability for the alliance,” said Underwood.
The 41st Field Artillery Brigade is also partnering with Lithuania and training its forces to build on the success of TF Voit. Lithuania is expected to receive its HIMARS launchers in 2027.
“HIMARS is now part of our national defence. Training began even before the systems arrived in Estonia, in cooperation with units from the United States. Today we have a trained rocket artillery battery that continues to regularly rehearse the defence of Estonia. We have both a highly experienced team and top-tier technology, and now we’ve reached a level where we can independently conduct both training and live-fire exercises. We will continue to expand and develop our rocket artillery capability,” said Oras.
Task Force Voit works closely with the Estonian Armed Forces, sharing critical defense strategies and providing invaluable training and military readiness support. The presence of U.S. troops in the region is a cornerstone of NATO’s commitment to the security architecture of the Baltic region. The task force provides combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s only forward-deployed corps in Europe.
Article written by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Novak, 70th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2025 09:00 |
| Story ID: | 542673 |
| Location: | EE |
| Web Views: | 81 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, First HIMARS live-fire marks milestone for Estonia, by SSG Joseph Novak, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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