Members of Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, alongside Latvian Armed Forces and NATO allies, conducted joint live-fire missions during Exercise Crystal Arrow, held in Latvia from 5 to 31 May 2025. The operation is part of the wider DEFENDER 25 series and conducted in conjunction with Swift Response.

 

Over 3,000 NATO troops and 1,200 military and armoured vehicles participated in the exercise within the Vidzeme region. Training focused on urban defence operations and sharing joint tactics to enhance multinational cooperation and operational effectiveness.

An advantage for Baltic states is the close collaboration between Latvia’s Mechanized Infantry Brigade and local communities. Public roads, forests, and airspace were used during the exercise with minimal disruption and no lasting environmental damage.

The event aimed to improve coordination between soldiers and leadership, particularly in the use of close air support and indirect fire. These joint efforts demonstrate capabilities, reinforce alliances, and deter potential threats across NATO’s eastern flank.

 

 

“We are out here training as a multinational brigade, and this gives us the opportunity to work together and to help each other as a team,” said Sgt. Elijah Aceret, a gunner with Alpha Battery. “By working with them, we can work together to build a better and more cohesive multinational brigade.”

Currently deployed to Latvia, the 1-41st Field Artillery Regiment provides fire support using the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer system. These artillery crews, having completed their certifications earlier this year, executed timed precision fires in coordination with NATO counterparts during the live-fire event.

“The significance of Crystal Arrow is integrating U.S. field artillery doctrine with Latvian Forces,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Drew, gunnery sergeant with Alpha Battery. “We have a multitude of systems that do not talk and we have to find a way to work around to come up with different solutions to get the mission done.”

The exercise is vital for maintaining battlefield proficiency and improving interoperability among NATO allies. It supports the U.S. Army’s broader objective of strengthening readiness, lethality, and coordination along NATO’s Eastern Flank.

 

 

“We are participating in Crystal Arrow, and we are doing this because we are showing the Latvian Army support, to show that the U.S. is here and we are here to stay,” said Sgt. Brandon Cross, section chief with Alpha Battery. “The significance of this exercise is to show our adversaries that NATO is involved, NATO is here, NATO is here to stay, and that we are strong.”

Crystal Arrow highlights the U.S. and NATO’s commitment to collective defence and regional stability. It sends a clear message of deterrence to adversaries and reassurance to allies, underlining the alliance’s unity and preparedness to defend NATO territory.