Lt. Col. Daniel Han, battalion commander of 1-38 Field Artillery, said the live fire showed how the U.S. Army is advancing its artillery capabilities alongside allies. “To be able to [be the first battalion to shoot the new launcher systems] in Korea sends a strong signal of how the U.S. Army is continuing to modernize, continuing to transform, with more modern up-to-date capabilities in technology,” Han said.
Han added that the deployment of the M270A2 also reinforced cooperation with South Korean forces modernising similar systems. “It also tells our allies, the ROK Army, that as they’re modernizing their long range precision shooter platforms … we’re right there side by side with them going through the same type of transformation to say that ‘we’re all in this together,’” he said.
The battalion commander said extensive certification and training gave him confidence in the crews operating the upgraded rocket system. “I don’t think I had a lot of anticipation before because I knew the level of robust table five certifications that we had done and all the train up that we’ve done with our master gunner that was done to a really high standard,” Han said.
The exercise also tested communications critical to employing the M270A2 in Korea’s terrain, including high frequency systems used to enable fires. “And also to be able to get after shooting the missions via high frequency, HF, because we know the terrain that we have out here in Korea, we know how critical HF will be to be able to enable those fires,” Han said.
Following the live fire, Charlie Battery qualified nine crews within five hours, marking a rapid validation of the new launcher and its supporting systems. Capt. Ryan Walters, the battery commander, praised his soldiers after the event, saying, “Thank you for taking care of yourself, your equipment and each other in the mission,” and added, “As long as we are taking care of ourselves, each other and our equipment, the mission will take care of itself.”
