By Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor
3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
An M109A6 Paladin crew with Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fires a high-explosive round during a direct fire exercise at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 12, 2017. (Photo by 1st Lt. Dan Lee)
GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany — Soldiers of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted a direct fire exercise Sept. 12, 2017, with M109A6 Paladin howitzers.
The training was part of Table VI section certifications at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.
“Direct fire allows us to have a dynamic ability to engage the enemy directly or indirectly. This is a great opportunity for us since training at a smaller range isn’t always feasible,” said Capt. Ryan George, commander, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd ABCT. “This is a really good training opportunity for us to maintain our readiness.”
There are many ways that an artillery unit uses direct fire.
Soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, establish a defensive position for a direct fire exercise with M109A6 Paladin howitzers at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 12, 2017. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
“From my perspective on using direct fire to destroy the enemy, I like to think of it from a defensive posture,” said George. “As we are behind the front line of the tanks or Bradley Fighting Vehicles, we actually have the capabilities to defend ourselves instead of utilizing one of the brigade’s other assets.”
This is a rare occasion for the “Pacesetters” Soldiers since they don’t usually get a chance to directly see the targets they are firing at.
“Normally when we train, it’s indirect fire, and today our focus is direct fire,” said 2nd Lt. Maria Caputo, a fire direction officer, Battery B, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg. “We usually get information on the current enemy posture from a direct fire center or from the forward observers and process that information to engage the enemy from afar.
“Today, we take the fire direction control out of it and have the crews fire at targets that they can see. This is something that we haven’t done in a while so it’s good to take on any opportunity to do direct fire. This will definitely enhance our readiness level as Soldiers take on unique or rare training events.”
Soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, ground guide M109A6 Paladin howitzers to the firing point during a direct fire exercise at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 12, 2017. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
Conducting direct fire training as a part of Table VI certification was just one example of how the “Iron” Brigade has approached its deterrence mission by integrating flexibility with lethality.
“This is another way of pushing our artillery crews to perform beyond normal expectations,” said Caputo. “I think the Soldiers will be able to look back and be proud of what they have done so far during Atlantic Resolve.”
The Iron Brigade has been training in Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve since January. Atlantic Resolve is an unprecedented training opportunity that strengthens interoperability and builds lethality with 25 Allies and partners across Europe.
“This training is something I’ve never done before,” said Spc. Carlos Santiago, cannon crew member, Battery A, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg. “We are a resilient and adaptable group of Soldiers; anything new that we are told to do, we are able to accomplish it. This is a great learning opportunity, and my crew did well today. I am really proud of our performance during Atlantic Resolve.”
An M109A6 Paladin crew with Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fires a high-explosive round during a direct fire exercise at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 12, 2017. (Photo by Capt. Scott Walters)