OKINAWA, JAPAN -- Recently, the 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery (ADA) participated in "Dragon Warrior Wednesday". The key players in this exercise were the 35th ADA Brigade in Korea and 1-1 ADA in Okinawa. One of the key Army Values is Teamwork; 1-1 ADA demonstrated its ability to work as a part of a much larger team to accomplish the mission. "Dragon Warrior Wednesday" is a multi-echelon, multi-theater exercise that tests the joint readiness capabilities of 1-1 ADA, its Soldiers' abilities to execute their training missions, and its leadership's ability to maintain command and control throughout the Pacific theater.
The day began with an early morning recall, utilizing an oft-tested and proven alert roster system. Within two hours, the entire battalion had responded and was ready to begin the day's events. The exercise emphasized Soldiers' utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE) and leaders' abilities to organize their units quickly, and it also provided an opportunity for all members of the "Snake Eyes" battalion to conduct pre-combat checks and pre-combat inspections -- ensuring the readiness of each unit and individual. Following formation, the battalion's Tactical Control Officers (TCOs), Tactical Control Assistants (TCAs), Battery Command Post (BCP) crew members, battery trainers, commanders, and battle staff personnel attended a Video Teleconference (VTC) threat brief conducted in Korea via Defense Connect Online (DCO). This provided an opportunity for 1-1 ADA to utilize its technological capabilities to share knowledge throughout the theater, while increasing each battery's knowledge level of threats in the region.
The day continued with multiple units engaging in various air defense related training, including March Order and Emplacement (MO&E), Launcher Reloads, and Air Battle Management (ABM). Throughout the exercise, the battalion engaged in multiple netted air battles between the firing units and the Information and Coordination Central (ICC) providing further training to each unit's Engagement Control Station (ECS) crews, ICC crews, and the battalion battle captains as they simulated real world operations.
Soldiers appreciate the ability to train over a wide spectrum of operations to ensure proficiency in rehearsed battle drills. Specialist Robbie Hinojos, a TCA in Bravo Battery, said of the exercise, "I appreciated the threat brief. It gave me a sense of the bigger picture and the obstacles we face as a unit."
This was the first time that 1-1 ADA had participated in Dragon Warrior Wednesday with the 35th ADA Brigade.
Dragon Warrior Wednesday allowed 1-1 ADA to increase the battalion's operational readiness, understand the threat in the 1-1 ADA area of operations, and verify its ability to operate as part of a larger team. It emphasized air defense training and increased the knowledge base throughout the battalion. Most training participants in the exercise said it was successful in giving the "Snake Eyes" battalion a better understanding of their mission and an improved ability to "Fight Tonight" and together as a team.
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