Foch 22: 173rd Paratroopers train with French counterparts to build artillery interoperability

Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexander Skripnichuk | U.S. Army Lt. Col. Robert Kinney (middle), Battalion Commander of 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment observes a close air support mission with Colonel Arnaud Ruyant (left), Regiment Commander of the 35e Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste as part of Exercise Foch 22 on Oct. 7 2022 at Plan De Canjuers Training Area, France Exercise Foch is a live artillery exercise conducted between 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade and the French 35e Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste at Plan De Canjuers Training Area, France with the objective of demonstrating lethality and interoperability between U.S. and French airborne artillery units. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander Skripnichuk)  

VAR, FRANCE

10.18.2022

Story by Capt. Robyn Haake 

173rd Airborne Brigade

Vicenza, Italy — U.S. paratroopers, or “Sky Soldiers,” with 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (4-319 AFAR) and French paratroopers with the 35e Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste (35e RAP) recently completed Exercise Foch; a live fire artillery exercise conducted from Sept. 30 through Oct. 15 at Canjuers Training Area, France.

4-319 AFAR is the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s organic artillery battalion and is stationed in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Both 4-319 and 35e RAP share being paratroopers and artillerymen. The two units have trained together numerous times in the employment of artillery to support the airborne objective of joint forcible entry. Foch, specifically, was about demonstrating lethality and interoperability between U.S. and French airborne artillery units.

While the term “interoperability” is coined quite often in training between NATO allies, the training conducted between the two airborne artillery units was a precise example of what interoperability is.

The structure of an artillery mission is simple. An observer will find an enemy target and then send it to a fire direction center, who will compute a type of munition to be fired and then send the mission with instructions to the howitzers to fire it. While this sounds simple enough, numerous factors come into play to complicate fire missions; terrain, weather, maintenance, timing, placement of friendly units, and airspace.

Exercise Foch trained both units on how to process a fire mission while considering all of these factors. A new factor for this training was the fire direction computers for both units being able to pass missions to each other.

The most critical training objective during Foch was having the U.S. and French mission computers connect to exchange fire missions. The U.S. uses a system called the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) and France uses the Thales Land and Joint Systems Atlas artillery C4I (command, control, communications, and intelligence) system. Both of these systems control fire support on the battlefield and “send missions to the guns.”

Utilizing French observers overlooking an artillery impact area, missions were successfully transmitted from the observation point to the French Atlas system to the US AFATDS and finally to the 173rd’s howitzers for numerous successful fire missions.

For this exercise, the Sky Soldiers utilized their M777A2 towed howitzers while the French paratroopers used their Caesar truck-mounted artillery systems. Both units fire 155mm artillery projectiles. Other weapons and assets were integrated into the training, including French mortars and a 173rd-provided AN/TPQ-50 Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar.

The interoperability that was built during Foch was not completely about NATO equipment compatibility. It was about being able to work together to deliver lethal effects on the battlefield, which was achieved through intense efforts, patience and teamwork between the U.S. and French units.

Interoperability is about people, processes and relationships that build stronger teams, foster overmatch, and increase lethality.

Lt. Col. Robert Kinney, the Battalion Commander of 4-319 AFAR believes in seizing opportunities like Foch for ensuring future success as allies. “Events like Foch allow us to come together with our NATO allies and share our strengths. Its those strengths combined that will enable our success on the battlefield.”

The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.

• Date Taken: 10.18.2022
• Date Posted: 10.13.2022 04:34
• Story ID: 431173
• Location: VAR, FR