Photo By Sgt. Brett Thompson | U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Austin Yoakum (left), a fire support officer assigned to Bravo...... read more read more
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PABRADE, Lithuania — NATO allies gathered in Lithuania to strengthen their indirect fire support by conducting exercise Flaming Thunder, displaying military cooperation and firepower.
The exercise, conducted Sept. 23-27, 2024, focused on enhancing NATO joint air-ground integration capabilities, centered around Lithuania’s Joint Air-Ground Integration Cell (JAGIC) to capitalize on the lethality of indirect fire support. Flaming Thunder showcased the artillery and coordination skills of the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the United States, in a complex, fast-paced operational environment.
Interoperability proved crucial for NATO allies during exercise Flaming Thunder, as seamless coordination between forces ensured effective and lethal fire support. NATO forces sought to streamline communication between different nations and military branches to ensure artillery fire hit its intended target with maximum precision and effectiveness. Flaming Thunder demonstrated NATO’s ability to collaborate and deliver top-tier lethality on the battlefield through integration and coordination.
“Flaming Thunder is a multinational exercise,” said Capt. Yancy Zacherl, battalion fire direction officer assigned to 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, explaining the purpose of their mission. “It is meant to exercise the Lithuanian Joint Air-Ground Integration Cell with their fires organizations.”
“Our shooters were firing off information given from foreign forward observers,” continued Zacherl, as he described the interoperability the U.S. had with both Czech and Dutch forward observers during the exercise.
Zacherl continued by describing the Czech 152-millimeter DANA, a wheeled self-propelled artillery gun and stated, “Americans also called in fires utilizing Czech guns.”
“The main thing that we learned from the U.S. is how different their procedures are from ours,” said Czech army Sgt. 1st Class Ales Tichy, a fire support specialist assigned to 13th Artillery Regiment, speaking on how different the two militaries operate doing the same job.
Tichy continued to say, “We have never used priority target [fire missions] before, so that was something that was interesting to apply.”
Priority targets are a special type of on-call target with quick reaction times because the firing unit has guns set on a specific target when not engaged in other fire missions.
Soldiers from the 1-82, deployed their M109A6 Paladin howitzers. The U.S. Paladins fired rounds in close coordination with ground and air units supporting allied troops. Lithuanian forces played a key role in organizing and operating the JAGIC. The cell’s central role during the exercise allowed Lithuanian soldiers to showcase their advanced communication capabilities, ensuring all forces remained synchronized and efficient. Czech artillery units worked closely with their U.S. and Lithuanian counterparts, providing indirect fire. Dutch soldiers contributed valuable ground assets to the training, emphasizing rapid, coordinated responses to emerging threats.
With NATO’s collective strength on full display, exercise Flaming Thunder served as a reminder of the alliance’s commitment to maintaining readiness and deterrence. The successful completion of Flaming Thunder solidifies the importance of multinational cooperation and advanced fire support in modern warfare.
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2024 13:47 |
| Story ID: | 482035 |
| Location: | PABRADE, LT |
| Web Views: | 170 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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