GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – U.S. Army Soldiers with the 3rd battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas participated in fire coordination training in preparation for live fire exercises as part of Combined Resolve XIII on January 14, 2020.
Combined Resolve XIII is Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) directed Multinational Unified Land Operation event that exercises the U.S. Regionally Assigned Force (RAF) brigade in support of the European Command’s (EUCOM) objectives. The purpose is to prepare the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division along with 16 other partner and allied nations, totaling more than 5,000 service members, to fight and win in the European Area of Operations (AOR).
"Artillery is interesting because it's really the brigade commander's asset,” said Capt. Eric Johnson, Fire Direction Control (FDC) officer with the 3-16 Field Artillery Regiment. “Typically, what we see the brigades focus their artillery rounds on is enemy artillery, enemy radars, target acquisition assets and air defense artillery units."
The Soldiers are refining their skill sets during this exercise despite a cold environment that has commonly seen sub 30-degree temperatures.
"The Soldiers are performing outstanding considering the conditions out here,” said Sgt. First Class Christopher Ganious, 3-16 Platoon Sergeant. “It's cold, which hinders the conditions of the terrain, but the missions still get accomplished at the same speed. Nothing changes,"
Artillery fires leave no room for error. Consequently, the Soldiers must be precise throughout each step of the process.
"The group of guys that I have right now is very meticulous in what they do. They're always double-checking to make sure that the data that is sent from the Fire Direction Control (FDC) is accurate. If these guys get any data sent to the guns that says they can't shoot, they'll call a check fire on themselves. They're the first check and I'm the secondary check, but they always get it right on the first look," said Ganious.
Combined Resolve XIII is continuing joint efforts to build readiness and interoperability, to promote regional stability and continue the enhancement of our allied and partnered relationships.
"It's a unique enemy they're fighting, and also the opportunity to work with allied nations as well,
integrated into the battalion level is great,” said Johnson. “There's an Italian artillery battery here, so the chance to work with their liaison team, officers in the Tactical Operations Center, (TOC) and tying them into the planning process is a beneficial aspect of this exercise."
Between the long hours, the cold German winter, and the tedious fires operations, the Soldiers' resiliency is commonly put to the test. How do they endure?
"Patience, having patience is the most difficult part of this job," said Pvt. Souriya Syavong, a Paladin driver with the 3-16.
The Soldiers will continue enduring with patience as Combined Resolve XIII continues throughout this month of January.