A team of Soldiers from the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command plans and operations section, traveled from Germany to Poland to join Delta Battery, 5-7 Air Defense Artillery, which convoyed 100 Soldiers and 30 vehicles 1200 km, earlier in the week as part of exercise Panther Assurance from March 18 to 24.
The US Army Europe based Soldiers came to help plan and coordinate the combined air defenses of Delta Battery with the Polish 3rd Warsaw Air Defense Missile Brigade during the week long exercise. This opportunity is part of a series of activities within the framework of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which aims to reassure allies, demonstrate freedom of movement and deter regional aggression on the eastern flank of NATO.
To make this combined exercise beneficial for both sides meant several of the 10th AAMDC officers worked closely together with the Polish in their plans and current operations office, in the Polish Surface Air Missile Operations Center or SAMOC.
"Our primary task at the beginning of the exercise was to get the combined timeline together and work out the common air defense goals we hoped to achieve, and by the end as far as I'm concerned it was a great success, they're great counterparts and very professional," said Maj. Sam Pearson, Chief of War Plans, 10th AAMDC.
Sharing air defense data so that NATO partners can track the same things going on in the air is an important aspect of air defense and one that the 10th AAMDC Soldiers got to practice first hand with their Polish counterparts.
"Im sitting side by side with the Polish in their Fire Control Center, our whole purpose is to deconflict and correlate the air picture of what their radar and what our radar see. Being there allows us to develop and adapt our standard operating procedures to better serve the fight," said Cpt. Christina Castillo, 10th AAMDC, Air Defense Artillery Fire Control Officer or ADAFCO.
The Polish Air Defense brigade soldiers also took part during daily combined security patrols of the emplaced missile sites during the exercise which allowed both sides to experience different approaches to a common goal.
"It's not much different from what we do stateside, I've come to realize that we have a different language and equipment but basically the same functions," added Castillo.
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