US Task Force Marne and NATO Allies demonstrate unified artillery capabilities during Wawel Dragon.

U.S. Army soldiers from Task Force Marine and Allied troops from NATO's enhanced Forward Presence Battle Groups in Poland and Latvia continued to develop field artillery interoperability during Exercise Wawel Dragon at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Nov. 7. Sgt. Cesar Salazar Jr. reports.
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U.S. Army M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers with Alpha “Ares” Battery 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, supporting 3rd Infantry Division, conduct a live-fire exercise during Exercise Wawel Dragon at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, Nov. 7, 2023 (Picture source: U.S. Army/Sgt. Cesar Salazar Jr.)

Wawel Dragon — a unified artillery exercise between the U.S., Canada, Poland, Croatia, Romania, and Spain — demonstrated the artillery command and fire capabilities of the Allied NATO nations on the battlefield. The exercise also allowed the Allied countries to familiarize themselves with each other’s artillery systems. Setup side-by-side, American M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, Croatian Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers, and Canadian M777 howitzers fired hundreds of artillery shells down range throughout the exercise.

U.S. Army Capt. Martha Lane Kinnett, commander of Alpha “Ares” Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, supporting 3rd Infantry Division, said the exercise helped promote interoperability between the NATO Battle Groups: “It’s really working with our Allied partners and making sure that we can be combat-effective, working together in between the NATO Battle Groups,” Kinnett said. “The purpose of the NATO Battle Groups is interoperability amongst our allies.”

NATO Allies used the exercise as an opportunity to use real-world tactics and coordinate fire support incorporating American and Canadian fire support specialists and forward observers into the fire missions. The observers acquired targets, synchronized artillery fire, and reported the status of the objectives down range for the mission.

The exercise required large-scale logistical coordination amongst the two NATO Battle Groups, according to Kinnett, and churned out many positives for the Allied countries. “The positive thing about Exercise Wawel Dragon is working with all of our Allied partners,” Kinnett said. “It’s always cool to work with the personnel of other nations. We’ve gotten pretty close with the Iron Boars — the Croatian counterparts — I’m excited to work with the Canadians for the first time from Battle Group Latvia.”

Kinnett added that the exercise allowed allied troops to run technical rehearsals prior to the live-fire, in order to become more proficient at their roles. “We’re doing a live-fire exercise, and we’re learning more about the systems that the Croatians and the Canadians use,” Sgt. Kevin Blystone, a paladin gunner with Alpha “Ares” Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, said. “We’re doing a kind of back-and-forth shooting together.”

The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward-deployed corps in Europe.

Defense News November 2023