Photo By Robert Faison | U.S. Army Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat...... read more read more
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GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany -- Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conduct a combined arms maneuver live fire exercise (CAMLFX) from Dec. 8-17, 2022, at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany.
The CAMLFX included assets from light infantry, artillery, rotary-wing aircraft and mortars to successfully capture an objective.
"Strike Soldiers have been doing company-level collective training since September of 2021, with a variety of training densities prior to a brigade fire support coordination exercise," said Command Sgt. Maj. Raul Cantu, the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment command sergeant major. “Strike Soldiers are the most trained Soldiers in the U.S. Army right now, we have been doing training well over 18 months to include unilateral, multiple bilateral, and multilateral training with NATO partners and allies.”
The experience Strike Soldiers gained during previous training prepared them for the CAMLFX. Exercises like Operation Lethal Eagle I and II utilized air assault and sling load operations which proved to be essential for the next phase of training.
"Using our organic assets from the division, we are able to infiltrate by air assault either directly on or offset from the objective and use organic assets such as artillery, mortars, and air assets to destroy the enemy on the battlefield," Cantu stated.
Strike Soldiers conducted an air assault into the area of operations in order to seize objectives Narwhal and Wombat.
Objective Narwhal is designed to test the maneuverability and decision-making skills of the fire teams as one-unit infiltrates and captures enemy terrain using sapper elements along with indirect fire support. Objective Wombat stresses the unit's ability to conduct military operations in an urban environment and once complete, the platoons provide direct fire support to flank the enemy as the objective Narwhal is being captured.
With ground teams moving towards an objective, the indirect fire support can be heard flying overhead. The integration of fires was vital to mission success during the CAMLFX.
“When you talk about the integration of fires into maneuver, there are really three key aspects in that: the science behind it, the technology behind integration, and the art of it too,” said Lt. Col. Bryan Fanning, the Commander of the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment.
“The application of fire support is tying together the science and technology in order to do things that are creative and unique as we incorporate it into maneuvers,” Fanning remarked.
Objectives Narwhal and Wombat test a company’s ability to fight in a changing battlefield that is more focused on the urban environment.
“Trench warfare is becoming significant in modern large-scale combat operations,” said Lt. Col. David Williams, the Commander of the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment. “We integrated the trenches to train our Soldiers to face this obstacle and the challenges it presents.”
Within the trench, there are seven bunkers and multiple branches in different directions that make the leaders on the ground face complex challenges. How to seize the foothold and how to safely navigate within it are a few of the strains placed on the platoon leaders, Williams added.
After clearing the trenches, the sound of artillery fire began to fade and the light infantry units emerged from the halls dug in the earth.
With successful integration of fire support, rotary-wing aircraft, and light infantry maneuvers, the CAMLFX drew to a close as each of the company’s accomplished the tasks necessary to capture both objectives. With the modern battlefield rapidly changing, the Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team continue to hone their craft in preparation to win the future fight.
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2022 04:08 |
| Story ID: | 435422 |
| Location: | DE |
| Hometown: | FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 174 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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