Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment, operated across Camp Grayling’s extensive maneuver areas after completing artillery table certifications there in April. Northern Strike expanded that training by combining gun crews, fire direction personnel, communications systems and leadership in a larger and less predictable environment.
“We shoot, we move, we communicate, and we try to replicate what we would face in combat,” said Maj. Johnny Kocher, the regiment’s executive officer. “All these things affect our maneuverability and survivability.”
The battery repeatedly practiced the Paladin’s core shoot-and-scoot mission, moving into firing positions, delivering rounds and relocating before an adversary could respond. Crews also maintained communications and reacted to simulated drone threats while continuing to provide artillery support.
“I keep telling my Soldier that you have to move after you shoot,” said Kocher. “Once they see or hear a drone it really drives the point home.”
Camp Grayling’s nearly 147,000 acres allowed the Paladins to operate across greater distances than the unit typically encounters during home-station training. Crews navigated wooded routes, established concealed firing positions and operated farther apart, increasing demands on command, control and communications.
“The whole point of Paladins are for us to shoot and move,” Kocher said. “There’s just so much more room for us to flex the capabilities of that platform.”
The exercise also tested the full artillery mission while the battery continued to relocate. Fire direction personnel had to receive information, verify firing data and pass instructions to gun crews quickly and accurately as battlefield conditions changed.
“From there, it’s all about processing our missions and making sure all our mission data is safe and accurate,” said Staff Sgt. Devon Butler, a gun chief for Alpha Battery. The training reflected an operating environment in which unmanned aircraft, electronic warfare and counterfire capabilities can make stationary artillery increasingly vulnerable.
Repeated missions allowed crews to refine their responsibilities while commanders assessed the battery under pressure. The Paladins covered long distances at Camp Grayling and worked through multiple fire missions as crews adapted to changing conditions.
“This training area is far superior to any other training area I’ve seen,” Butler said. “It gives you a real feel for what a mission might be like.”
Northern Strike 26-2 runs from Aug. 1 to 15 at Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center and includes about 9,000 participants. The Army-sponsored, multi-component and multinational exercise is designed to build readiness and strengthen interoperability among U.S. forces and international partners.
