Italian and Romanian soldiers were joined by the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Field Artillery Brigade for a combined live fire exercise at Capul Midia Air Base on the verges of the Black Sea in Romania on 6 June as a part of exercise Saber Guardian 23.
American and Italian forces joined together with Romanian troops to conduct a combined live fire exerciser of the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, used by the American and Italian forces, while the Romanian troops operated their M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
“We’re firing MLRS and our partners are firing MLRS and HIMARS today,”said Lt. Col. Derek M. Reeves, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Field Artillery Brigade, who ent on to say that the ongoing training is aimed at enhancing the capacity for large long range fire in support of large scale combat operations.
Saber Guardian 23 completes DEFENDER 23
With Saber Guardian 23, the final military exercise of DEFENDER 23 is currently underway in Romania. The DEFENDER 23 exercise, under the leadership of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa, has been designed to concentrate on the strategic deployment of continental United States-based forces, employment of Army Prepositioned Stocks, and fostering interoperability between Nato Allies and partners.
The purpose of the combined live fire exercise at Saber Guardian 2023 is to serve as a training scenario by supplying live fire while allowing engineers to perform a wet gap crossing operation.
According to Reeves, the training value of performing a live fire at actual targets with real ammunition is significantly higher than that of imaginary targets. The deployment of M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System by the involved nations has significantly enhanced the value of training exercises conducted during Sabre Guardian 23.
International exercise in rapid assembly
Over 7,000 U.S service members and 17,000 multi-national service members hailing from over 20 nations are set to take part in DEFENDER 23. The participating countries include Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
From 22 April to 23 June, the DEFENDER 23 event is showcasing the US Army Europe and Africa’s (USAREUR-AF) capacity to rapidly assemble US-based combat power in Eastern Europe, as well as enhancing the Nato Alliance’s effectiveness through long-range fires, improve unit readiness in a complex joint, multinational setting, and utilise host nation capabilities to expand USAREUR-AF’s operational range.
