OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- Soldiers, of 35th Air Defense
Artillery Brigade, conducted their second world-wide defense simulation exercise
utilizing netted remote terminal battle labs, Aug. 9-14.
"The focus of
the training was to conduct air-battle management and engagement operations
while simultaneously training the brigade- and battalion-level staff functions,"
said Maj. Eric Soler, 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade operations officer.
"This exercise validated our proof of concept of incorporating [continental
U.S.]-based Patriot units into a realistic wartime scenario optimizing our
readiness to defeat an air or missile threat."
More than 300 Soldiers
took part in the Missile Defense Agency-generated air battle
simulation.
Additionally, about 30 Missile Defense Agency personnel from
War Games and Exercises Directorate, a part of the Directorate for Test,
maintained and operated the air battle simulation designed to replicate
realistic threats for air defense Soldiers to detect through the Patriot missile
system.
Patriot missile system crews, originally assigned to the brigade,
consolidated on Osan Air Base to share institutional knowledge between firing
units and to build unit cohesion.
"This exercise provided us the
opportunity to conduct a tactics review and to standardize engagement operations
across the brigade," said 2nd Lt. Clinton Keeley, an air defense officer
assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, which is
headquartered more than 250 km south of the brigade.
Keeley said that
line units often do not see operations at a higher echelon until they are
promoted and fill that role themselves.
"It provided my crew the
opportunity to get a bigger picture of air and missile defense," Keeley said.
"It really provides the Soldiers with a better understanding of how each
staff section supports and reports the missile fight," he said.
During
the exercise, Soldiers from South Korea, Texas and Okinawa, Japan, worked
around-the-clock monitoring their designated air space and engaging simulated
air and missile threats.
"I am extremely proud of the outcome of this
exercise," said Col. Mark Holler, commander of the 35th Air Defense Artillery
Brigade. "The Patriot crews were tested on their ability to defend their
assigned assets against a significant threat and the staff streamlined
operations to support that mission."
Holler said that he expects the
brigade's world-wide defense simulation exercises to continue and only get more refined with time and practice.