Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 145th Armor Regiment trained under the Kuwaiti sun throughout the week at the tank range to remain a capable deterrence to any possible aggression throughout the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
“Gunnery table six is designed to test crews on their ability to identify, engage and destroy targets,” said Master Sgt. Caleb Clark, 1st Armor Battalion’s Master Gunner. Crews have to engage targets from both an offense and defense posture.
Some engagements will have two targets, and some will have three targets as the tank crews conduct table six qualification, Clark said. “We are showing some of the best scores we have ever had.”
Tank crews must work together if they are to become qualified, unlike most other weapons systems that are based on induvial skill.
“Seven out of 10 is a qualification. If you get seven out of 10, you are a Q1,” Staff Sgt. Logan Casale, a tank commander in 1st Battalion said. “Shooting nine out of 10 is distinguished. Everyone wants to get that, it’s very challenging, though.”
Casale said crews have to work together with the driver, tank commander, loader and gunner, all being on the same page. Casale said. Crews need to qualify to be deployable.
“The importance of coming out here on the range is for Soldiers to hone their craft and skills to become better tankers and teams,” said Capt. Kevin Dorgan, Commander of Alpha Company in 1st Battalion, 145th Armor Regiment. The majority of teams have been together since pre-mobilization, but some are new.
“We do this type of training in order to build our proficiency on our weapons, build our proficiency as tankers, and as a company,” Dorgan said. “This is a complete team environment.”
