Photo By Spc. Brandi Frizzell | An M1A2 Abrams main battle tank with 1-16th Infantry, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team,...... read more read more
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NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – A thunderous boom emanated as the tracer rounds fired from a M1A2 Abrams main battle tank reached their targets. Soldiers from the 1-16th Infantry, 1st Army Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division performed live fire exercises, featuring Abrams tanks, in Bulgaria, Sept. 29 to Oct 5, 2025, while emphasizing target engagement, effective maneuvering and crew development.
Soldiers from the 1-16th conducted live fire gunnery tables by engaging tactical targets with their tanks in both day and night conditions. The training aimed to improve crew coordination and equipment effectiveness. Around 15 Abrams tanks executed six distinct gunnery tables while firing a 120mm M256 cannon.
Gunnery training fosters crew unity and trust, preparing them to work seamlessly in combat situations by improving communication and teamwork. It requires each member to perform their specific tasks effectively, leading to a unified and cohesive team.
Each crew consisted of a driver, gunner, loader and tank commander. Staff Sgt. Riley Croft, a tank commander for the 1-16th Infantry, described each crew member’s role in the exercise. The loader is assigned with loading the ammunition, the tank commander is responsible for bringing the driver in the direction of the target and the gunner is in charge of identifying the target.
“Everyone has their piece to play,” stated Croft. “Everyone has a vital role.”
Croft emphasized the value of training while extending knowledge and experience to new crew members.
“Training builds muscle memory,” said Croft. “The people underneath you are going to be the people that fill your shoes. I’m always trying to teach them better ways to do things so when they reach my position they won’t have the problems that I had or the worries that I faced.”
Spc. Jocelyn Trejo, a gunner with the 1-16th Infantry, expressed the importance of communication between the crew members.
“Communication plays a big part of being able to succeed,” stated Trejo. “It goes all the way from the driver to the TC, telling the driver when to stop, telling the loader to load and then the commands to fire. Communication is the main key.”
Sgt. First Class Corey Smith, a master gunner for 1-16th Infantry, detailed how training has impacted the newer soldiers in the company.
“My favorite thing is watching young soldiers grow,” said Smith. “We have a lot of new Soldiers in this company. Seeing how they’ve progressed from the simulator, to gunner skill assessment until now, they are continuing to progress everyday.”
Smith also discussed how teamwork promotes unit cohesion.
“The more camaraderie you have, the better you work as a crew,” stated Smith. “Things just start flowing. Fire commands start to run smoother.”
Live fire training allows crew members to experience realistic combat conditions, improving their effectiveness and accuracy under pressure. Now that the gunnery live fire is complete, the Abrams crews will move on to conduct a Platoon Situational Training Exercise (STX), a Company STX and then the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFX).
Live fire gunnery training allows crews to demonstrate the individual crew’s ability to operate as a cohesive fighting force, a critical component in generating warfighting readiness along NATO’s Eastern Flank.
| Date Taken: | 10.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2025 04:51 |
| Story ID: | 550011 |
| Location: | NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, BG |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st Infantry Division Competes Abrams Gunnery in Bulgaria, by SPC Brandi Frizzell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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