Army brings Patriot missile battery to NAS Fallon

The precision of a Patriot missile demolishing an Iraqi Scud missile in midair during the first Gulf War became one of the most remembered scenes of 1991.

For the past 17 years, soldiers have refined their mission with the Patriot missile system while the missile's technology has also improved. As a result of the many improvements, the U.S. Army has been expanding its training with the Patriot to include working side by side with other military agencies to include the U.S. Navy.

For the past two weeks, a Patriot missile battery from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery at Ft. Hood, Texas, has been training on the Fallon Naval Air Station grounds. The 84-soldier battery shipped out this weekend to test their capabilities in the Nevada desert east of Fallon.

Lt. Col. Nick Bernhardt, a 19-year Army veteran and battalion commander, said training at NAS Fallon has given his soldiers incredible opportunities.

"This is a target-rich environment," said the Oak Park, Ill., native. "We'll have a lot of live air using our equipment capabilities."

Once Bernhardt's Patriot missile battery hunkers down in the Nevada desert, then his unit will work with an air wing from a Carrier Air Group currently training on the NAS Fallon ranges. Bernhardt said this will give his soldiers an opportunity to talk directly to Navy pilots, asking for air cover and other support.


One of the major training areas will be Bravo 19, one of the Navy's bombing ranges 40 miles east of Fallon.

"Where else can you have Navy jets and helicopters called for fire when you're mixing it with your OPFOR (opposing forces)?" Bernhardt asked.

Having joint forces training is now the "in thing" in the United States' military.

"It's a no brainer," Bernhardt said. "It's been an ongoing initiative for our CG (commanding general) to get us into as many joint exercises as possible."

Bernhardt said he was in awe of what he had seen with the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center.

"The aircraft flying here is superior because of the Navy's Top Gun school," Bernhardt said.


Bernhardt said the joint training provided by NAS Fallon complements previous training held with the U.S. Air Force during the Red Flag Exercise at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.

Although the two weeks on base and the upcoming time in the desert will be stressful, Bernhardt said his unit will refine their tactics and procedures during the training opportunities.

In a garrison role at NAS Fallon, Bernhardt said his Patriot missile battery has been able to provide tactical air defense at an air base. Although bivouacking at NAS Fallon has not paralleled a base in Iraq or Afghanistan, it still has provided the 2-1 ADA an opportunity to be involved in a real-world deployment.

Normally the battery would have six launchers, but, instead, the battery brought two, said 2nd Lt. Michael Tatz, a launch platoon leader.

For the number of soldiers and the mission, he said two launchers would be enough for the soldiers' training. Tatz said the Patriot missile is a long-range, all-altitude missile system, and he said the system will allow soldiers an opportunity to train against different types of missiles.

One of the unit's goals has been self survival.


""We have logistics lines 1,700 miles back to Ft. Hood, and we will have to sustain ourselves for 3 1/2 weeks," Bernhardt said.

For example, convoying out to Austin gave Bernhardt's unit several drills in repelling OPFOR warriors. Tatz maneuvered his unit out of Fallon toward the training area. The West Point grad said he was looking forward to having Navy helicopters provide route security for the soldiers.

If Bernhardt had brought a pure battalion to Fallon, the Army would have had more than 600 soldiers on base. Instead, with the two Patriot missile launchers, about 120 soldiers (company strength) and 53 pieces of equipment arrived in western Nevada.

Even with reduced assets, Bernhardt said the integrated air and missile defense missions and computerized technology add up to real-world experiences not only for his soldiers but also for him.

"This will provide the battalion commander with state-of-the-art equipment to implement and coordinate tactical defense and design planning," he said.

http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20080622/News...5&ParentProfile=1045

I would of loved to have been apart of this. Just how much fun are you allowed in one lifetime.

As much as you can get....