By Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Beery, Utah National Guard
KIRTLAND AFB, New Mexico — In late October, the Utah Army National Guard’s 65th Field Artillery Brigade brought “America’s Thunder” to the Land of Enchantment as participants in “Virtual Flag” Coalition 26, the U.S. Air Force’s largest and most advanced synthetic, theater-level joint and coalition exercise, hosted by the 705th Combat Training Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
Operating as the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) Force Field Artillery Headquarters, the 65th seamlessly integrated into the joint force, controlling joint fires, fusing live joint sensors into the targeting cycle, coordinating cross-boundary and counterfire missions, while establishing airspace coordinating measures for deliberate deep strikes. Leveraging fully digital systems, including Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (JADOCS), and Tactical Airspace Integration System (TAIS), the brigade dramatically shortened sensor-to-shooter timelines and generated Category I precision targeting coordinates against a near-peer adversary.
This year, the brigade showcased the game-changing impact of new long-range precision fires capabilities that significantly extended its lethal reach across the battlespace, according to Capt. Chase Stilson, an operations officer assigned to the 65th, participated in the exercise.
“The exercise validated the integration of advanced systems like AFATDS, which accelerates the kill chain and ensures accurate and effective fires,” he explained.
A total of 11 Utah National Guard Soldiers participated in the exercise: nine from the 65th Field Artillery Brigade and two from the 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.
Utah Guardsmen executed both deliberate and dynamic missions with speed and precision while building relationships with Air Force, Navy, Marine, Space Force, and multinational partners from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The event validated the 65th Field Artillery Brigade’s readiness to create innovative and effective solutions in complex, multi-domain operations and set the stage for even deeper joint and coalition integration in future operations.
