Written by 2nd Lt. Josie Lott, fire direction officer, 2nd Platoon, Cobra Battery, Field Artillery Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment
VILSECK, Germany - The Cobra Battery, Field Artillery Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment conducted its battery qualification, Table XV, in the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Feb. 5 - 7, 2019. Table XV is a battery level training exercise that integrates fires into a tactical training scenario evaluated by squadron leadership and master gunners to qualify the battery and ensure they can provide accurate and timely fires in support of the regiment.
During Table XV, Soldiers conducted tactical movements from multiple firing points and ten distinct fire missions. The Army requires this mandatory training event to maintain proficiency, and it takes a significant amount of coordination within and outside the squadron to resource the mission.
"We came out [here] with purpose and a mission to accomplish," said Spc. Travis Capps, assistant gunner, 1st Platoon, Cobra Battery, FA Squadron, 2CR. "Rain, sleet [or] snow, we have to be prepared to go to war at any time and in any climate."
Table XV challenged Soldiers with difficult conditions and below freezing temperatures up to -10℃. The adverse conditions allowed the Soldiers to embrace their true Artillery Hell spirit and grow stronger as a unit.
As part of the evaluation, Cobra Battery successfully delivered fires and conducted missions such as: time on target, obscuration, coordinated illumination, immediate suppression and high angle adjust. These missions not only challenged the agility, adaptability and toughness of the battery's Soldiers, but also simultaneously integrated tactical operation center procedures, chemical biological radiation and nuclear defense training, radars, medical and air assault operations for the entirety squadron.
"We went out there and we killed it," said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Johnson, sixth section chief, 2nd Platoon, Cobra Battery, FA Squadron, 2CR. "Nothing stopped us, not even the eight inches of snow."
After concluding an after action review, the battery turned its focus to recovery operations. Cobra Battery, now qualified, awaits with anticipation for the U.S. Army Europe exercise Dynamic Front 19 and Squadron qualification, Table XVIII, to occur later this year.
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