SAGAMIHARA, Japan –
The 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade hit the ground running during Yama Sakura 87, providing air defense expertise through new lines of communication and areas of operation during the exercise.
“The Brigade staff is learning about growth,” said Lt. Col. RaShaun Warren, the deputy commander of the 38th ADA Brigade. “We are learning about what it takes to get outside the confines of who we are as a pure, air defense element. From our team in Okinawa, our team in Guam, and our team at the missile defense batteries, we’re actually getting a chance to work with people at the higher echelon with us.”
During this iteration of the Yama Sakura exercise, the 38th ADA Brigade trained directly with I Corps, the Army’s Operational Headquarters for the Indo-Pacific, during a concurrent, simulated event known as a Warfighter exercise – a first in Yama Sakura history.
“For the 38th ADA, our role [in the exercise] is a little special,” said Staff Sgt. Skyler Ashe, an air defense early warning systems operator serving as the brigade’s night assistant battle captain for the exercise. “We’re acting as a different air defense artillery brigade, a SHORAD unit, a short-range air defense unit. So we’re all learning new roles and new equipment as we help support I Corps and our trilateral partners.”
SHORAD systems are often designed to be very mobile, such as the Avenger, which is intended to be a shoot-on-the-move air defense weapon. An Avenger is capable of engaging aerial threats whether the system is stationary or moving - even if it is driving over 50 miles per hour.
The 38th ADA Brigade, however, typically operates from static locations and at a strategic level, utilizing Patriot missile defense systems, terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) systems, and X-band radar systems to defend airspaces from high-altitude aerial threats.
“Typically, as Patriot folks, we are protecting maneuver elements, defending them from aerial threats, from a static location,” said Warren. “Now we’re learning how to move things around the battlefield, from Sentinel Radars to Avenger systems, to keep up with the maneuver force as they move.”
During the exercise, the 38th ADA Brigade had to shift gears from long-range to short-range air defense and learn how to maneuver at a ground-based, tactical level to support I Corps.
“Our Soldiers are learning about interoperability, learning about things that we don’t typically do, and working with our different allies,” said Warren.
Yama Sakura 87 and the concurrent Warfighter exercise tested the 38th ADA Brigade’s ability to adapt and learn new ways to conduct air defense operations.
“Everyone’s learning every day,” said Warren. “The environment is never perfect. So we go into the environment understanding that there will be challenges... If you never go through those challenges, you never figure out - hey, this is something I need to work on. If you’re going to learn those lessons, you want to learn them during a Warfighter rehearsal, during the exercise,” said Warren.
By experiencing another unit’s areas of responsibility, the 38th ADA Brigade improved its ability to understand and work with its partner allies, increasing its operational effectiveness.
“You want those people who’ve been able to operate in multiple environments and do multiple things, in multiple systems, with multiple people,” said Warren. “You want those people because they can help on many fronts.”
By working with new units and engaging in new roles during Yama Sakura 87, the 38th ADA Brigade gained the experience needed to enhance its readiness and operate more effectively to help secure a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.