U.S. and Iraqi Guns Bring Steel Rain To ISIS by U.S. Army Capt. Jason Welch
September 2, 2018
In northwestern Iraq, along the Syrian border, the desert echoes
with the sound of artillery during June 2018.
A fire support
base hums with activity as service members move about in the heat,
reloading, firing, cleaning, maintaining, and securing artillery
positions. They speak different languages, but are bound by the
common effort of defeating ISIS with each artillery barrage.
June 5, 2018 - U.S. Army Soldiers
with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment fire artillery during a hot
sunney day alongside Iraqi Security Force artillery at known
ISIS locations near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Iraqi Security
Forces and Coalition partners provided fire support to
assist the Syrian Democratic Forces as they continued
Operation Roundup, the military offensive to rid the final
pockets of the terrorist organization from the Middle
Euphrates River Valley in Syria. (U.S. Army photo by Spc.
Anthony Zendejas IV)
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Iraqi Security Forces, alongside troopers from the 3rd Cavalry
Regiment “Brave Rifles” and Marines and sailors from other units of
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, arrived
weeks ago to establish the temporary fire support base.
Their
mission – provide supporting fires to forces participating in
Operation Roundup, the operation to defeat the last pockets of ISIS
from northeastern Syria. This required close coordination to
synchronize fires from multiple weapon systems.
“The most
satisfying moment in the mission, so far, was when all three
artillery units, two Iraqi and one U.S., executed simultaneous fires
on a single target location,” said Maj. Kurt Cheeseman, Task Force
Steel operations officer and ground force commander at the fire
support base.
Iraqi and U.S. gun crews and fire direction
centers developed a common technical language to coordinate fire
missions and overcame any multinational language barriers.
“This mission required the use of multiple communications systems
and the translation of fire commands, at the firing point, directing
the Iraqi Army guns to prepare for the mission, load and report, and
ultimately fire,” said 1st Lt. Andrea Ortiz Chevres, Task Force
Steel fire direction officer.
The D20 howitzer unit used
different procedures to calculate the firing data, which is the
information required to determine the correct flight path to achieve
effects on the desired target, said Ortiz.
“In order to
execute coalition fire missions, we had to develop a calculation
process to translate their firing data into our mission data to
validate fires prior to execution,” said Cheeseman.
The
result was synchronized firing by both Iraqi and U.S. artillery.
“This single fire mission was a perfect demonstration of the
purpose, effectiveness, and lethality of the partnership at the fire
base,” said Cheeseman.
Establishing the fire base and
sustaining it presented its own challenges. Troopers arrived to a
bare patch of desert, with no fortifications or life support.
“Everything originally emplaced was done by hand and, through
the hard work of Marines and Soldiers, we emplaced fighting
positions, a tactical operations center and living areas,” said 1st
Lt. Ashton Woodard, a troop executive officer in Task Force
Longknife.
June 4, 2018 - U.S. Marines
provide additional security for Iraqi Security Forces and
coalition partners near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Iraqi
Security Forces and Coalition partners provided fire support
to assist the Syrian Democratic Forces as they continued
Operation Roundup, the military offensive to rid the final
pockets of the terrorist organization from the Middle
Euphrates River Valley in Syria. (U.S. Army photo by Spc.
Anthony Zendejas IV)
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To create more permanent emplacements, engineering assets such as
bulldozers and forklifts were brought forward, said Woodard.
“Following ten days of around-the-clock labor in intense
environmental conditions, the most satisfying moment was seeing the
completion of the physical security perimeter,” said one Marine
contributing to the security of the fire site.
Coalition
forces and Iraqi partners worked with Brave Rifles engineer teams to
establish a secure perimeter providing stand-off and protection for
the U.S. and Iraqi artillery units.
Many organizations came
together to make the fire support base possible. Within 3rd Cav.
Regt., personnel and equipment came from five different squadrons
spread across the area of operations. Navy, Marine Corps and Air
Force units also provided planners, personnel and equipment.
Coalition partners from several different nations participated in
the planning and coordination of the complex movement and logistical
scheme that brought all the forces and resources together.
“Supplies were delivered from both air and ground by the Army, Air
Force and Marines, and include delivery platforms such as Medium
Tactical Vehicles, UH-60 Blackhawks, CH-47 Chinooks, CV-22 Ospreys,
C-130 Hercules and a C-17 Globemaster,” said Woodard.
“We
receive resupply air drops that include food, water, fuel, and
general supplies,” said Woodard.
With the supply challenge
solved, Brave Rifles Troopers and coalition troops focused on
working with their Iraqi counterparts, easily overcoming any
language and technical differences.
“The language barrier has
not been a significant issue for the execution of fire support base
operations,” said 1st Sgt. Reonel Mina, Task Force Steel. “The Iraqi
army leaders are familiar with working with U.S. forces and the
assigned linguists are extremely proficient and understand the
mission and intent of the base.”
“They are not only linguists
but also cultural advisors to fire support base leaders and
soldiers,” said Mina.
Working side-by-side, Iraqi and U.S.
artillerymen depend on each other to achieve mission success.
June 5, 2018 - U.S. Army Soldiers
with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment light up the night sky with
artillery alongside Iraqi Security Force artillery at known
ISIS locations near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Iraqi Security
Forces and Coalition partners provided fire support to
assist the Syrian Democratic Forces as they continued
Operation Roundup, the military offensive to rid the final
pockets of the terrorist organization from the Middle
Euphrates River Valley in Syria. (U.S. Army photo by Spc.
Anthony Zendejas IV)
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“Our Iraqi army partners at the fire support base are
professional and battle-tested formations,” said Cheeseman. “They
are rich in culture and tradition and are extremely gracious and
generous.”
“They’re eager to work with the American M777
Howitzer and fire direction crews and share artillery knowledge and
procedures. The U.S. and Iraqi army soldiers spend time together
training and sharing culture,” said Sgt. 1st Class Isaac Hawthorne,
Task Force Steel master gunner.
“There is a common artillery
bond that transcends nationality or unit,” said Cheeseman.
“It is a pleasure [working with our Iraqi partners], they are very
professional and willing to learn and teach to create shared
understanding. They respect our measures for security and
participate in our regular drills and rehearsals,” said Capt. Chase
Kelley, a troop commander in Task Force Longknife and the security
forces commander at the fire support base.
“Coalition troops
operating out of the fire support base remain extremely motivated
and continue to demonstrate their proficiency and dedication to the
mission,” said Cheeseman.
The remote fire base is temporary
and expeditionary, absent any permanent structures and exposed to
summer desert temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38
degrees Celsius.
“They are enduring harsh weather conditions
and a lack of luxuries, but, unlike previous deployments for many,
each element is performing their core function in a combat
environment,” said Cheeseman.
“The fire support base is a
perfect example of joint and coalition execution that capitalizes on
the strengths of each organization to deliver lethal fires, protect
our force and sustain operations across an extended operational
reach.”
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