FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – For two weeks, the United States and Indian Armies have been training together in parts of interior Alaska such as Ft. Wainwright and the Yukon Training Area, near Salcha.
As part of that training, artillery units from both countries have been planning live fire artillery use. This involves working on crew drills and integration according to Cpt. Chapman Johnson, the battery commander of Chaos Battery in the 28th Field Artillery Regiment.
He said both nations have “very similar weapon systems,” and that they’ve been working together to engage in both indirect and direct fire.
Logistical planning for the training began about one year ago, but linking up with the foreign troops only began months ago as plans were finalized.
“The integration is from every single level, all the way from our number one man on the Howitzer that’s running ammunition, all the way to the section chief who’s giving that final command to fire,” Johnson said.
“We have been integrating pretty well with our Indian counterparts. The big hurdle was the language barrier at first, but a lot of the younger Indians know how to speak pretty good English, so they’re helping us out with a lot of stuff,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Gonzalez.
Integration has also come in handy, as the troops, coming from different climates, have focused on Arctic readiness.
Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division have been teaching members of the Indian Army about combat in Arctic and Sub-Arctic conditions.
“We’ve had them look and learn on our 10-man tents, our SHAs, and there’s actually been some good TTP sharing,” said Johnson.
Troops from India have been able to impart their climate knowledge too.
“Members of this unit have actually been stationed in some of the colder regions of India, so they were able to share some of their experiences and how they do things as well,” Johnson said.
A big part of the training included understanding how the weapon systems are affected by changes in weather.
It’s not just the weather but the geography too.
“Specifically, to artillery, as we look to these mountains and peaks and valleys, how does that affect how we shoot? There’s some technical things that we have to change in all aspects of it,” explained Johnson. “How do we in place in areas that are very mountainous and significantly more wooded than some of the other areas that the Army uses?”
Gonzalez said members of the Indian Army that had experience in the Himalayan Mountains were able to help manage the terrain in the Yukon Training Area.
“We got a lot of the same rocky terrain that the mountains do over there. So, with us digging and processing fire missions, everything like that, it’s helped out a lot.”
While the training comes with challenges related to the mission, civilian presence in the area presents unrelated challenges.
“Really specific to this week, is we see a lot of moose hunters going back and forth,” Johnson said.
For the artillery training, about 40 soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army were involved, while nearly 1,000 soldiers from both countries as a combined force have been part of the larger exercise known as Yudh Abhyas 25, according to the U.S. Army.
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