Air defense artillery Soldiers apply 'train as you fight'

By Capt. Corey Robertson (FORSCOM)May 8, 2015

Air defense artillery Soldiers apply 'train as you fight'
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FORT SILL, Okla. (May 7, 2015) -- "Train as you fight" is a phrase familiar to Soldiers. Whether they are preparing for an upcoming mission or keeping their skills honed to perfection, training in this manner is crucial to maintaining proficiency.

Air defense leaders, assigned to the 4th Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery, or 4-3 ADA, took the challenge to train as they fight in a deployed environment in preparation for their upcoming deployment.

This challenge may sound simple, but in regards to training management in air defense, it is something that has never been done before.

"What we have done in 4-3 ADA is take lessons learned from previous deployments to United States Central Command and exploit the knowledge from those within our battalion who have served in that area of operations," said Chief Warrant Officer 3, Matthew Keechi, air missile defense system technician. "We then tailored the air defense field manual to better prepare our battalion for sustained air and missile defense operations in the incredibly short window we have to train."

Up until this point, 4-3rd ADA trained as every other air defense unit had. They did not focus on training for sustained operations, but more on initial operations.

This way of training is not due to a lack of deployment experience - as air defense forces are sought after and consistently deployed across the globe. The current certification requirements, for air defense operations, simply do not call for it.

"The current modified gunnery program executed by the battalion is not only more relevant, but also provides Soldiers with an understanding of the requirements that they are expected to have during sustained operations," said 2nd Lt. Ian Otting, A Battery fire control platoon leader.

So how did they modify the process and tailor it to train as they fight?

The process was simple: rather than defining a crew based on a system component of the Patriot battery, they modified the definition of a crew, which led to a team of Soldiers that will be on shift at any given time while deployed in combat, manning a Patriot site.

"Incorporating sustained operations into the existing gunnery standards provides Soldiers with a broader understanding of the requirements of a Patriot firing battery to sustain itself. This is especially apparent with maintenance operations. For a Patriot unit to maintain its operational capability, it is imperative for the operators to integrate maintenance into every aspect of operations," said Capt. Jessica Perales, A Battery commander.

Since Operation Desert Storm in 1990, air and missile defense forces have been on constant steady-state operations and deployments into the Central Command area of responsibility with no clear indication that rotational deployments will slow down.

"This modified gunnery program more accurately reflects manpower requirements and exposes Soldiers to the battle rhythm they will execute downrange," said 1st Sgt. Charles Nelson, A Battery first sergeant.

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Fort Sill

4th Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery

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