Air Defenders Conduct NATO Sgt Stout Live-Fire In Norway
by U.S. Army Capt. Alexander Watkins
June 18, 2025

Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADAR) joined NATO allies in the Arctic Circle for Exercise Formidable Shield 2025, putting the U.S. Army’s newest short-range air defense system, the SGT STOUT, to the test through multiple live-fire engagements.

The event marked the first time the SGT STOUT, formerly known as the Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, or M-SHORAD, fired Stinger missiles in an exercise with NATO allies and partners, highlighting the critical role of ground-based air defenses within the Alliance’s integrated air and missile defense architecture.

During Formidable Shield 2025, 5-4 ADAR supported operations with its short-range air defense capability, deploying the SGT STOUT, which mounts Stinger missiles, a 30 mm cannon, and an onboard radar on a Stryker armored vehicle, to engage exercise targets over the skies of Andøya, Norway.

Over several late-night live-fire events, U.S. Army air defenders engaged target drones simulating low-altitude threats. Soldiers from 5-4 ADAR executed battle drills to ensure they could engage aerial targets from both the SGT STOUT and while dismounted. When one SGT STOUT could not lock onto a target during the final firing window, its crew immediately executed a well-trained battle drill: they dismounted and fired a Stinger missile at the aerial target. The successful execution of the drill demonstrated the air defenders’ decision-making, resourcefulness, and adaptability to diverse threats on the modern battlefield.

Short-Range Air Defense, NATO Integration

What began a decade ago as a naval missile defense exercise has evolved to include Allied air forces and, more recently, ground-based air defense units. The inclusion of Army SHORAD systems like the SGT STOUT reflects lessons learned from modern conflicts, notably the war in Ukraine, where drones, cruise missiles, and other low-flying threats have reemphasized the need for mobile short-range air defenses.

Formidable Shield 2025 featured 16 warships, 27 aircraft, and eight ground units from 11 NATO and partner nations. From May 6 to 9, U.S. and Norwegian SHORAD crews on Andøya Island acted as the exercise’s final protective layer, ready to engage any threats that slipped past naval defenses in the Norwegian Sea. The SGT STOUT, designed to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and cruise missiles, complemented ship-based and high-altitude interceptors operated by other NATO forces.

Formidable Shield is one of NATO’s premier integrated air and missile defense exercises, and its live-fire scenarios are complex, joint, and multinational. In one scenario, Royal Norwegian Navy ships attempted to intercept incoming targets at longer ranges offshore. If anything survived those naval engagements, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps air defenders stood ready on shore as a last line of defense. This multi-layered approach underscores a core exercise goal: integrating NATO’s air and missile defense enterprise across land, air, and sea.

That coordination was on full display in Norway. All participants ... ships, aircraft and ground units ... shared a common operating picture using NATO data links.

“Our radar here can only see so far, but we push what we see to the network, and the ships that maybe can’t see over here get early warning,” said Maj. Ben Bowman, 5-4 ADAR’s operations officer. “Likewise, they can see a track further out than we can, so we have a heads-up that something’s coming a lot earlier and that just gives us the edge.”

Alongside the U.S. Army’s SGT STOUT systems, other ground-based air defenses took part in the exercise. Norwegian forces operated their National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System and new Norwegian Mobile Air Defense System. U.S. Marines from Marine Air Control Group 28 deployed teams with shoulder-launched Stinger missiles and operated a tactical air operations center, coordinating closely with Army and Norwegian units to deconflict airspace and cue engagements.

“When they see a different ship each night with different drones, different air forces or [ground-based air defense] defending or attacking, it makes it complex for them,” said Cmdr. Fridtjof Joys of the Royal Norwegian Navy, referring to how the presence of so many Allied systems send a strong message of unity and cohesion.

Integration, Training, and Readiness

For the soldiers of 5-4 ADAR, Formidable Shield 2025 offered an invaluable opportunity to transition from simulator-based training to live combat scenarios alongside NATO partners.

U.S. Army Spc. Isiah Hernandez emphasized how Arctic field conditions and live munitions sharpened the unit’s operational readiness: “You train for it in the simulator, but it’s completely different when you’re out here.”

The exercise’s scale and intensity were also eye-opening for leaders worldwide who observed the training. Col. Hailey Bairu, commander of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, called the NATO event unlike any other in his 22 years of service due to its scope and degree of integration. The 52nd ADA Brigade, activated in 2022 in Sembach, Germany, serves as a permanent Army air defense tactical headquarters in Europe and ensures U.S. Army air defense units like 5-4 ADAR can integrate into NATO’s air defense network.

“If we’re interoperable when a war kicks off, we’re going to be way ahead of any enemy that threatens peace,” Bairu said.

Military leaders say exercises like Formidable Shield are critical as NATO faces evolving aerial threats. Capt. Michael Dwan, commander of a U.S. Navy task group involved in the exercise, said events like this “forge the bonds of interoperability and strengthen the Alliance as a whole.

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