The US Military Striker mobile artillery gun system is one of the worlds most powerful gun systems. JAWORZE TRAINING AREA,
Poland –
North Carolina Army National Guard’s
Griffin battalion
Soldiers met, learned and shared their artillery knowledge with their
Polish army counterparts here during
Exercise Anakonda 16 June 5, 2016.
The Polish army invited the
5th Battalion,
113th Field Artillery Regiment, Soldiers to get a first-hand experience with their weapon systems as well as the Polish army to get a first-hand experience with the Griffin battalion’s
High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (
HIMARS).
“It was outstanding seeing what an ally uses as a weapons system and learning about their tactics and techniques,” said
U.S. Army Maj.
Chris Rosehart, the 5-113th
FAR Operations Officer.
The day began preparing to convoy the light multiple rocket launchers on a six-wheeled, armored 23-foot-long U.S. Army medium tactical vehicle. The launcher chief, the crew and vehicle commander, stands out the hatch allowing maximum visibility guiding the team safely. The 333-horsepower engines roar down the road, like the battalion’s mascot, as the massive vehicle travel to the training area.
Their destination, Jaworze
Training Area (
JTA), is a base in the
Polish countryside, where their hosts have several of their own heavy weapons on weapons on display including a 152mm
AHS DANA, a self-propelled artillery vehicle, and a 122mm
WR-40 Langusta self-propelled multiple rocket launcher.
The convoy thundered beside the Polish vehicles.
Language barriers dissolved quickly as Griffin Soldiers climbed aboard the giant Polish weapons systems. Guard Soldiers shared years of combat experience, from supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom and
Operation Iraq Freedom as well as stateside training, with their Polish counterparts. Polish Soldiers with several combat deployments, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and other
NATO supported operations, returned the favor assisting the NCNG Soldiers with aiming or simulated loading of the huge Polish heavy artillery.
Dozens of Polish Soldiers swarm the 5-113th FAR’s prime piece of equipment, the HIMARS.
Interpreters were swamped with questions about range, aiming, command and control, lethality and interoperability. Griffin Soldiers simulated the loading, aiming and firing the six telephone-pole-sized rockets in a few minutes.
“It was great to be around other nation’s soldiers, most people never get a chance to experience that,” said U.S. Army Sgt.
Phillip Hughes, a truck driver with the 5-113th FAR.
As midday arrived, the
Poles invited their new comrades to share a meal at their field dining facility. Several unit shoulder insignias and challenge coins, a small coin or medallion bearing an insignia or emblem carried by an organization’s members or presented to distinguished visitors, are shared and numerous vigorous embraces were given.
This meeting is the beginning step of the continuous communication and coordination needed for a successful live fire exercise during AN16, and if needed, real-world cooperation during a future operation.
“
Integration is incredibly important! Each (of us) has different practices and we found (out) we had many similarities, but small differences can lead to big complications,” U.S. Army 1st Lt. Earle
Pope, the 5-113th FAR
Fires Direction Officer.
AN16 is a premier multinational training exercise seeking to train, exercise, and integrate the Polish national command and force structure into a joint multinational environment.
Video Description Credit:
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan
Video
Credits:
Staff Sgt. Katie Gray, Spc.
Andrew Geisler, Sgt.
Kyle Burns,
Christoph Koppers and Sgt. Nikayla Shodeen
Video
Thumbnail Credit: Video Screenshot by ArmedForcesUpdate
Modified by ArmedForcesUpdate
- published: 30 Jun 2016
- views: 410