Nearly 500 soldiers from the US, Poland and Germany took part in the “Arcane Thunder 25” exercise, which was organized in 3 countries. The artillerymen from the 15th Mechanized Brigade were liable for fire support. The main task was assigned to 2 self-propelled artillery batteries and 2 segments of combined firewatchers. The targets were on advanced seas.
Building interoperability on land, water, air and cyberspace is the main goal of the Arcane Thunder 25. They were organized by Americans from a multi-domain task force (2nd Multi-Domain Task Force – 2MDTF), which is stationed in Germany. The various parts of the maneuvers were held in 3 locations: German Mainz-Kastel, Ustka and Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The Central Air Force Police in Ustka was utilized by trainees for fire activities, in which the front was led by a squadron of self-propelled artillery 15 Giżycka Mechanized Brigade.
Polish artillerymen joined in ‘Arcane Thunder ‘25’in which they participated for 3 days, with their pre-planned field training. In addition to the Wiszaków in Ustka, soldiers of the 1st Mazurian Artillery Brigade were besides present at that time. And although they did not participate in the American exercises, the self-propelled artillery squadron could usage them Unmanned aircraft FT-5 Elk to measure the impact of harming their objectives.
Hanging Invasion
Approximately 170 soldiers of the Orisha self-propelled artillery squadron under Colonel Luke Sielawa took part in the Arcane Thunder ‘25’. The combat group consisted of 2 self-propelled artillery batteries and 2 sections of combined firewatchers. This meant that targets at sea were attacked by 12 self-propelled 2S1 barrels of 122 mm. Soon, however, the carnations will replace modern equipment in the unit. The squadron is now equipped with K9 Thunder. A fewer days before the exercise ended, a second batch of these Korean 155 mm barrels arrived.
– The intent of my squadron during the Arcane Thunder ‘25’ was mostly to check the interoperability of the command system, to control artillery and to practice the circulation of information," said Colonel Lukasz Sielawa. “Fire tasks required a combination of many systems,” adds the commander. As he points out, the ASCA (Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities) interface was utilized to coordinate the cooperation of artillery systems, as well as the Polish fire control strategy Topaz and the American AFATDS (Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System), an advanced tactical field artillery data processing system. The artists besides utilized the Information strategy PMN 2.0 (Polish Mission Network – Polish mission network), enabling the processing of information about the "secret" and "NATO secret" clause. “The full process was carried out perfectly,” the officer emphasizes.
The vulnerability of the water targets was carried out as part of the alleged Sensor-to-Shooter (STS) process, the course of which involves identifying the emerging target, planning the impact, authorising the decision and at the end of the shot. Targets were recognized by Americans from a multi-domain task force division utilizing Spark's unmanned crew. It's a tiny airframe with a vertical high. – The image obtained during the reconnaissance American soldiers sent 2MDTF to staff. Further to the 56th Artillery Command in Germany, where a multi-step decision was made, i.e. the alleged targetting. On the basis of this, the Americans defined tactical tasks, fire tasks, which were then directed to AFATDS-ASCA-Topaz systems," said Colonel Sielawa, who performed 2 specified operations each day. On the occasion, soldiers of the Polish squadron collaborated with the Americans during the exercises, which assumed to collect cargo with ammunition from an unmanned submarine.
– We gained valuable experience, we could work together in an global environment, checking the effectiveness of information circulation based on many systems. It worked great. In addition, we have practised under different conditions for us, as we do not frequently execute fire tasks related to targets at sea – concludes Colonel Sielawa.
Agitate action with allies
Americans are besides affirmative about maneuvers. “Arcane Thunder ‘25’ was about practicing complex, fast operations,” says Colonel Aaron Ritzema, commander of the multi-domain task force division (2 MDTF). “With these exercises, we not only verify systems, but besides how to make decisions, timing, pace and common trust of allies,” added the lieutenant colonel.
In his opinion, the exercises in Poland strengthened integration and interoperability with allies. Thanks to the joint actions and the exchange of experience, the procedure (the alleged kill chain) in the Sensor-to-Shooter format could be shortened. – Although the exercises took place in Europe and the United States, valuable training and conclusions let us to be a more effective force capable of responding to any threat in any area," said Col. Ritzema.
MDTF (multi-purpose task force) is simply a military formation performing missions aimed at synchronizing precise actions in all domains. So as to prevent attacking troops from entering the operational area (A2 – Anti-Access) or limit the freedom of opposing forces within a circumstantial operating area (AD – Area Denial).
The U.S. Army planned to make 5 multi-domain task groups: 2 dedicated to action in the Indo-Pacific region, 1 focused on Europe, 1 stationed in the Arctic region, and a 5th targeted global response. 1MDTF with office in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington began operating in 2017. 2MDTF has been stationed in Germany since 2021, focusing on Europe and Africa. The 3rd group was activated in 2022 in Hawaii to support the US Army in the Indo-Pacific region.
