The U.S. Army this fall activated an artillery battalion in New York that is intended to give commanders in Europe new options for long-range strikes and deterrence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment was activated under the 56th Theater Multi-Domain Command on Oct. 17, a move that signaled \u201ca significant step in the Army\u2019s ongoing modernization and the expansion of long-range fires capability in the European Theater,\u201d according to the command\u2019s Monday announcement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though administratively tied to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in New York, the new unit falls under the operational control of the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, part of the 56th Multi-Domain Command-Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The activation \u201creintroduces a modern long-range precision fires battalion,\u201d the press release said, adding that, for the European theater, \u201cit means greater range, more flexible options and additional tools to deter or respond in a rapidly changing security environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The battalion comprises over 500 soldiers and includes High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, per the Army. HIMARS is a truck-mounted multiple-rocket launcher that can fire precisely guided rockets up to around 186 miles, depending on the munition, according to the system\u2019s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unit is also equipped with Mid-Range Capability, or MRC, systems, which are designed to strike even farther away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Col. Jeffrey Pickler, the task force commander, said in the release that the activation symbolized \u201ccommitment to readiness, innovation, and to our allies and partners abroad.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It remains unknown, however, if \u2014 or when \u2014 soldiers and equipment will be deployed overseas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unit\u2019s activation is part of the Army Transformation Initiative, an effort to reshape the force structure. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The U.S. Army this fall activated an artillery battalion in New York that is intended to give commanders in Europe new options for long-range strikes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":14,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,46,11,14,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3506],"class_list":["post-48558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-land","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MOTQCE3QIZCCRAKBWMQSPRCFAY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2025\/12\/15\/us-army-launches-artillery-battalion-focused-on-europe-deterrence\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n