FORT SILL, Okla. -- Second Battalion, 18th Field Artillery recently participated in a large-scale exercise with more than 6,000 Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The division level exercise, Operation Iron Focus, was conducted in the training areas of Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The area covered by the training is over 3 million acres; 35 times larger than Fort Sill.
Operation Iron Focus was a crucial step in preparing the "Mission Ready" Battalion for its rotation through the National Training Center (NTC) with 1st Armored Division's 1st Brigade later this summer. The battalion fired 36 Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, bringing a unique long-range asset to the battlefield unlike any other weapon system in the division. The training refined the unit's abilities to deploy to any location in the world and tested the performance of both Soldiers and equipment in a desert environment.
Conducting the training at Fort Bliss had special meaning to the Soldiers due to the regimental history. The 18th Field Artillery Regiment was originally organized June 1, 1917, at Fort Bliss, and remained there for five years.
"Training at this location was a unique experience that made me feel like I was a part of a vast history of Soldiers spanning almost 100 years. We endured conditions very similar to those that the original Soldiers of the regiment would have gone through," said 1st Lt. Daniel Tuttle, battalion communications officer.
Since then the regiment has been involved in World wars I and II as well as conflicts in Southwest Asia and the Middle East.
The "Mission Ready" Battalion's A Battery shot all 36 rockets in coordination with the 1st Armored Division's offensive maneuvers in realistic battlefield conditions complete with an asymmetric enemy force and a civilian population.
The Soldiers leave Iron Focus with a greater understanding of how to continuously maneuver and maintain firepower in difficult terrain.
"I learned different ways to mount antennas to keep communication consistent and was impressed with how fast the battalion can move from one location to another," said Pfc. William Roberson, from A Battery.
The training was a great learning experience for everyone involved. From junior Soldiers to division leaders, they learned how to integrate the long-range firing capabilities into the overall battle.
First Lt. Xavier Martinez, A Battery operations officer, said he was very satisfied with how the battery came together to ensure the battalion's success.
"The entirety of the battery ensured mission accomplishment. We used every available resource in the face of significant obstacles and did not allow a single fire mission to fail," he said.
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