OCTOBER 18, 2024 – A new Stryker unit has been designated to 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (ADAR), 1st Cavalry Division. This development marks a pivotal step in modernizing our air defense systems to combat evolving threats in contemporary warfare environments by enhancing our battlefield capabilities.
Staff Sgt. Craig Jordan, from Rockledge, Florida, serves as Alpha Battery’s master gunner for 6-56 ADAR’s newly formed unit. Enlisted as an Air and Missile Defense Crewmember (14P) for the Army, he plays an integral role in training and verifying the lethality and effectiveness of the unit’s new weapons systems.
“We’re on the A1 Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) Stryker that comes with a reconfigurable integrated weapons platform,” says Jordan. “We started fielding the Strykers in late 2023, early 2024, and this is our second battery we’re doing crew-level evaluations for.”
The M1265A1 SHORAD Stryker represents a versatile and highly mobile air defense platform capable of countering a variety of aerial threats, including drones, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft. Recently, the SHORAD Stryker was renamed the “Sergeant Stout” in honor of Sgt. Mitchell W. Stout, the only air defense artillery Soldier to receive the Medal of Honor.
Utilizing the M1265A, 6-56 ADAR adopts a variation of Stryker tailored for air defense; Jordan provides insights into this vehicle’s specifications. “It has a Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher (SVUL) pod that holds four missiles, a XM914 30mm cannon and the 7.62 M240 machine gun,”
By integrating the weapon systems of the “Sgt. Stout” in accord with advanced radar systems and missile technology, the SHORAD Stryker enhances the 6-56 ADAR’s ability to provide critical air defense coverage, particularly in fast-paced and dynamic operational settings.
The deployment of the SHORAD Stryker within the 1st Cavalry Division aligns with broader military strategies focused on increasing the mobility and responsiveness of air defense units.
“With the newer threats the Army is facing when it comes to aerial threats, adding a Stryker unit to air defense emphasizes the necessity of incorporating air defense into the close range fight or into the maneuver force,” says Jordan. “The SHORAD will help close the gap of engaging high priority targets and the smaller targets that are harder to detect.”
Over the course of the last month, gunnery crew members from 6-56’s Alpha and Charlie batteries have conducted qualification tables as well as practical air defense maneuvering drills during an extensive field training exercise at Dalton Mountain Multi-Use Range on Fort Cavazos.
“We’re working toward building advanced gunnery tables,” says Jordan. “These tables will essentially go from just showing crews how to use their weapons system lethally and shoot proficiently, to being able to fight proficiently as part of a maneuver force.”
Focusing on the operation and maintenance of the SHORAD Stryker’s sophisticated systems, Jordan is facilitating in creating a standard for future training programs designed to ensure that personnel are fully prepared to leverage the vehicle’s capabilities effectively.
“We’re looking at building section and platoon gunnery tables so that we can evaluate past the crew level,” says Jordan. “We have to lay out a proper training guideline that will allow us to provide effective maneuver and short range air defense for whatever asset or team we get embedded into.”
This initiative is particularly timely given the rising prominence of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) on the modern battlefield, which necessitates agile and adaptive defense solutions that were not previously capable with traditional stationary air defense methods.
“Being mobile, we’re better able to integrate with forces that would need short range air defense and we can provide a larger impact across the entire Army when it comes to a large-scale fight,” says Jordan. “Before, we were stagnant and there wasn’t much we could do to influence the fight.”
During the anti-air defense portion of Table VI qualifications, 6-56 ADAR utilizes MQM-170 Outlaw drones to provide Alpha battery’s gunnery crews with a realistic aerial training target.
“UAS’s are a realistic threat and it’s the most practical way for us to get aerial practice,” says Jordan. “But we prepare for all types of low flying aerial threats including fixed wing and rotary wing aircrafts as well as UAS.”
As the 6-56 ADAR integrates the M1265A1 SHORAD “Sgt. Stout” Stryker into their operations, the broader implications for both national defense and the strategic capabilities of the 1st Cavalry Division are substantial. The regiment has been given the unique opportunity to set the groundwork for how air defense Stryker crews will train and qualify in the future, which will ultimately allow for more efficiency both in training and in wartime. The addition of short-range air defense Strykers to the Army’s arsenal not only strengthens the immediate defense capabilities of ground forces but also sets a precedent for future enhancements across the military.
Story by Sgt. Nicholas LaRocco
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment