Soldiers from the 82nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division offload ammo from their Bradley Fighting Vehicles at the Douthit Range Complex at Fort Riley, KS on Aug. 30, 2021. Soldiers competed in the brigade’s gunnery competition, which tested their ability to engage targets under day and night conditions. (Photo by Pfc. Ellison Schuman, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)

A gunnery crew from the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regt. poses for a photo at the Douthit Range Complex at Fort Riley, KS on Aug. 31, 2021. These Soldiers are a part of 'Dagger' brigade’s gunnery competition, which tested their ability to engage targets under day and night conditions. (Photo by Pfc. Ellison Schuman, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)

Tankers from the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regt. prepare their tanks for a gunnery competition at the Douthit Range Complex at Fort Riley on Aug. 31, 2021. These tanks are equipped with a main gun as well as machine guns.
(Photo by Pfc. Ellison Schuman, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)

FORT RILEY, Kan. -Soldiers of the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regt. and 82nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division competed in a crew gunnery competition on Aug. 30-31 at Douthit Range Complex, Fort Riley Kansas.

This competition was designed to train and certify gunnery crews to prepare “Dagger” Brigade for Platoon Live Fire Exercises at the National Training Center Fort Irwin, Calif., and to prevail in large scale combat operations.

On the first day of the competition, tanks from the 1-63 Armor Regt. conducted multiple practice runs to prepare for qualifications. During this training event, crews engaged targets with an array of weapon systems under both day and night conditions.

The Bradley’s in the Combat Engineer companies conducted their first live fire range during this exercise. Crews from the 82nd BEB engage targets with armor piercing and high explosive rounds from their 25mm autocannon, as well as their coaxial machine gun.

“The three main things we’re taking out from this exercise is maintenance, how to fire and be lethal, and how to work through misfires and malfunctions,” said Lt. Col. Jodie L. Kunkel, 82nd Brigade Engineer battalion commander.

The three to four man crews were graded in many categories such as how quickly they engaged targets, how many targets were hit, and the use of verbal commands.

Over a dozen gunnery crews participated in tables I through V the week prior, to ensure their Bradley’s, weapon systems and communication equipment functioned properly.

Tables I through VI are gunnery exercises conducted at the squad and crew levels to certify crews and prepare them for company and battalion exercises.

“In the event that soldiers will have to conduct this level of maneuvering and firing on the battlefield, it will ultimately help prepare them for that in the future,” said Maj. Ronald Rice, 1-63 Battalion Officer. “The biggest piece of this is growing and developing the crew members”