By Capt. Jonathon Daniell
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- Soldiers assigned to 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment partnered with Republic of Korea forces for the first combined short range air defense training event on the Korean Peninsula.
The purpose of the exercise was to integrate efforts between the ROK and U.S. forces on Short Range Air Defense, known as SHORAD. The field exercise allowed the ROK and U.S. troops to gain familiarity with each other's weapon systems and capabilities, with an end goal of building an enduring partnership between the two units.
"The best part of the training was being able to work through real-life scenarios that required coordination between the ROK and U.S. leadership to effectively complete our short range air defense mission," said 2nd Lt. David Lara, platoon leader, 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment. "We also forged a relationship with our ROK counterparts that could prove greatly beneficial in a wartime scenario."
The idea behind the training started in earnest with the 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment battalion commander, Lt. Col. Marc Pelini, reaching out to the ROK 516 Air Defense Artillery leadership to gauge interest. The idea of a combined training event was received in kind and planners on both ends immediately launched into action.
Lara reached out to one of the 516 Air Defense Artillery's platoon leaders, 1st Lt. Seung Joo Kim, and they laid the foundation by scheduling a combined network communication exercise to ensure both units would be able to talk via radios in an arduous field environment.
https://scout.com/military/warrior/Article/US-and-South-Korea-Exercise-Preps-for-North-Korean-Attack-108176744
