As the Army looks to preserve its budget and advance modernization priorities in the Indo-Pacific region, it tested firing rockets at targets from long distances during exercises near Russia on Wednesday amid tensions with the Kremlin.
The Defender Europe exercises taking place across 13 training areas with 28 NATO partners and allies are defensive in nature and practice a range of capabilities over six weeks. In Estonia this week, Army units from the United States, Estonia, and the United Kingdom practiced firing artillery rockets with ranges up to 300 miles. Meanwhile, before Congress, Army leadership was making the case for preserving its budget so that it can adjust to a region more fit for the Navy and Air Force and acquire the capability to fire hypersonic missiles over thousands of miles.
“The Army’s No. 1 modernization priority is long-range precision fires, and that will be on full display here in Estonia,” Brig. Gen. Christopher Norrie told journalists on a media call.
Norrie’s 7th Army training command participated in the “Fires Shock” exercise in the Baltic country that shares a land border with Russia.
‘NOT A MOMENT TO LOSE’: ARMY IN CHASE FOR LONG-RANGE PRECISION FIRES
“The 41st Field Artillery Brigade will demonstrate our ability to provide rapid, scalable, precision-strike long-range artillery anywhere in Europe and Africa,” he said.
While U.S. commanders carefully avoided mentioning Russia in their comments, their Estonian counterpart was not afraid to admit that the exercise would irk Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“There will be a reaction in the different formats from Russian Federation, and we’re preparing to deal with them as usual during conduct of such an exercise,” said Estonia Defense Forces deputy commander Maj. Gen. Indrek Sirel.
In recent weeks, Russia massed some 100,000 troops and heavy equipment on the Ukrainian border before withdrawing a few thousand at the end of April. The threat to Ukraine and NATO remains.
But it is not Russia that is the principal reason the Army is seeking to modernize its long-range fires. It is the threat posed by China.
In the Pacific region, with small islands thousands of miles apart, the Army needs precise long-range fire capability to protect naval vessels in a potential conflict with China.
“Hypersonics is a critical capability for our overmatch, and your funding, and the funding you’ll see in the ’22 request and in future requests is going to start fielding real capability,” acting Army Secretary John Whitley told members of Congress.
“In particular, in the Pacific, where you see the ranges that you see and the anti-access area denial environment in which we’d be operating,” he explained.
In making their presentation to the House Appropriations Committee, Army leadership did not have a full budget blueprint from the Biden administration. Nonetheless, Army modernization priorities are well known.
“I don’t want to get in front of the budget, but the intent is that those fires are extremely important,” said Army chief Gen. James McConville. “It’s long-range precision fires because, quite frankly, we got long ranges we’re going to have to deal with.”
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Democratic Chairwoman Betty McCollum of Minnesota warned the Army leaders to expect budget cuts and that they would need to prioritize.
“We want to continue to be a partner in executing the National Defense Strategy, but we need a high level of fidelity in your proposals,” she said. “It’s vitally important that all of the services continue to perform budgetary review process to ensure appropriate funds is invested wisely.”
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