Três Corações (MG) – It took five months of preparation. From their incorporation to the actual firing of a howitzer or mortar, young soldiers have traveled a path of ruptures: from the civilian world to the barracks, from video games to a war scenario with the right to 105, 120 and 155mm ammunition crossing the skies of southern Minas Gerais to consecrate the newest artillerymen of the Brazilian Army. Soldiers incorporated on March 1 in the three Field Artillery Groups (GAC) of the 2nd Army Division, located in the state of São Paulo, completed the Individual Qualification Instruction phase in Exercise Santa Bárbara 2023.
With the support of the Weapons Sergeants School, which provided its training camp in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, the 5th Army Division’s Division Artillery (AD/5), from Curitiba, Paraná, conducted refined fire coordination to train the 2nd GAC, 12th GAC, and 20th Aeromobile GAC in fire support missions from July 24 to 28.
“It’s an important delivery for our society, because this shooting was conducted by newly inducted soldiers and, five months later, they are able to perform the relevant functions to conduct this real shooting,” emphasized AD/5 Commander Brigadier General Ricardo Santos Taranto, who added: “This exercise also marks the completion of the basic training of military artillery organizations, in addition to being a ‘warm-up’ for the next phase, which is advanced training.”
In addition to the artillerymen on the ground, service members from various support segments were also present, totaling about 600 men and women in the campaign.
Next phases
Exercise Santa Bárbara was just the first phase of a training series. In September, both the staff and the firing line and other artillery subsystems will have more complex tests to overcome, when Exercise War Game (constructive simulation) and Exercise Agulhas Negras (live simulation) will be held.
The trainings are interconnected. In Minas Gerais, the Field Artillery Groups have received the tactical framework of the simulation and will now continue their studies and preparation for the next trainings.
What Exercise Santa Bárbara 2023 was like
The artillerymen simulated a series of activities in a defensive maneuver context and performed the actual firing.
At first, the GACs occupied a Meeting Zone in the field of instruction. After some reconnaissance on the ground, the batteries of howitzers and mortars occupied provisional positions, from where they could reach the simulated enemy in a position as far away as possible.
In the context of the maneuver, the GACs had the mission of disengaging the enemy, preventing their advance. When firing, however, the battery “surrenders its position” and must quickly move to another location. This was another aspect trained in the exercise.
There was also the practice of night shooting, showing the level of realism that the training sought to promote in the Artillery troops.
Technical channel
In accordance with the Military Instruction Program of the Land Operations Command, AD/5, through the technical channel, is responsible for assisting in the management of the preparation of the 2nd DE Artillery Units.
In June, the commander and staff of the Division Artillery of the 5th DE conducted an inspection visit to the GACs. On that occasion, the qualification instruction standards of the communications, topography, firing direction, firing lines and observation subsystems were verified, the latter with the use of the Bombarda software. At the end of each day, an integration activity of the subsystems was carried out, through simulated shooting missions.
Source: CMSE