Fort Stewart, Ga. -- Troopers with Delta Tank Company, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, fired their newly acquired M1A1-SA Abrams Tanks during gunnery on March 29, at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Since 2nd ABCT’s conversion from a light to an armored brigade combat team last fall, units within the brigade have been fielding and training on their new ground combat platforms.
Delta Tank, 6-8 Cav’s only tank company, was the first unit in the brigade’s firing line to test their crew's abilities.
“Gunnery is beyond critical," said Capt. Freddy Mitchell, commander of Delta Tank. "It is a necessary event to create lethal crews. Training like this is advantageous to the unit’s lethality.”
Table six is a live gunnery table that certifies each combat vehicle crew. Crew certification is a critical milestone that the three-person team must hit in order to progress onto larger and more complex gunnery tables.
In an effort to meet its goal of becoming the most lethal ABCT in the Army, 2nd ABCT crews must train and master closing with the enemy using fire and movement to destroy or capture enemy forces in sustained and large-scale actions with precision and speed.
Gunnery allows those crews to strengthen cohesion and maintain a constant state of readiness, for whenever and wherever they are needed said Mitchell.
"Today our crews are being evaluated on their proficiency to engage targets from various positions using the Abrams’ weapon systems," said Sgt. 1st Class Jose Lopez, master gunner and platoon sergeant with Delta Tank. "Because the Abrams is a stabilized platform, it allows accurate fires even while advancing towards enemy positions."
“The Abrams is the most lethal land warfare platform, battle-tested in both Desert Storm and Iraq,” added Mitchell. “This tank brings another long-range direct fire weapons system to our brigade.”