Photo By Staff Sgt. Matthew Damon | U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers with Kentucky’s 1st Battalion, 623rd Field...... read more read more
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Kentucky Field Artillery Regiment Enhances Lethality During Exercise Arcane Thunder
By Spc. Marissa Keith, 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FORT IRWIN, Calif. – Soldiers with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery Regiment conducted annual training at Fort Irwin, Calif., April 21-26, 2026 as part of Exercise Arcane Thunder. The focus of the mission was to sharpen combat readiness through two live-fire events featuring the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), reinforcing the unit’s ability to deliver rapid, precise fire in contested environments. Arcane Thunder is an annual exercise testing interoperability across Europe and the United States. The 2026 operation was conducted across the U.S., Germany and Poland, linking sensors in the sky, unmanned systems, and precision fires to rehearse multi-domain operations. By training in a realistic environment like Fort Irwin, Soldiers are challenged to execute missions under conditions that replicate the complexity and tempo of modern warfare. This training employs a multi-domain approach using sensors deployed on unmanned platforms by Multi-Domain Command – Europe to provide targeting data. “The main mission is to get our crews certified,” said Bravo Battery Commander Capt. Terrell Perry. “This training ensures our crews are prepared to operate under any means necessary while remaining accurate and disciplined.” During the live-fire exercises, Soldiers executed coordinated fire missions that required speed, accuracy, and synchronization across multiple elements. The scenarios tested crews on their ability to rapidly process targets and deliver fires while maintaining communication, situational awareness, and safety. “During this training, each crew will fire three separate missions,” said Staff Sgt. Lucas Welch. “A fire-when-ready mission, a time-on-target mission and a degraded mission. In the degraded mission where we will drop our GPS feeds, receive the mission over voice communications and manually enter the information in the system. This is us going through our repetitions, just as the infantry would conduct their squad drills.” In addition to live-fire operations, Soldiers are training with newly fielded capabilities designed by civilian contractors to enhance battlefield performance. Soldiers of the 1-623rd are the first to train with such technologies. Such development will influence upcoming warfare capabilities by influencing the ability to operate under unforeseen circumstances. “We’re testing some new equipment for proof-of-concept,” said Perry. “If this works, it would give our soldiers an advantage on the battlefield, and we’re getting to see that firsthand during this training.” During the culminating event, the Soldiers of Bravo Battery conducted a live-fire, time-on-target mission in which a target was engaged with the HIMARS, a High-Altitude Balloon, and drone simultaneously. The experience gained at Fort Irwin strengthens the brigade’s readiness and reinforces its ability to deliver lethal, timely fires in support of maneuver forces. As the unit continues to train, the focus remains on preparing Soldiers to meet future challenges with confidence and precision.
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| Date Taken: | 04.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2026 17:23 |
| Story ID: | 564908 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 623rd Field Artillery Regiment Enhances Lethality During Exercise Arcane Thunder, by SPC Marissa Keith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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