Soldiers manning HIMARS head to Latvia for exercises

The Army is dispatching two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to Latvia for the country’s national combat readiness exercises, according to a statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

Approximately a dozen personnel will be deployed with the rocket systems to the exercise, called Namejs 2022. U.S. soldiers are practicing rapidly deploying long-range “precision fires capabilities in coordination with our allies and partners,” the statement said.

The HIMARS will be rapidly deployed to Latvia using two C-130 aircraft and airmen from U.S. Special Operations Command’s 352nd Special Operations Wing.

“We are honored to work alongside our Allies in Latvia as one team in support of NATO’s collective mission,” Col. Richard Ikena, 1st Infantry Division Artillery Commander, said in a statement. “Namejs is an opportunity to enhance our readiness and strengthen our relationship with our NATO Allies. It also demonstrates our ability to rapidly deploy our Soldiers and long-range precision fires capabilities at a moment’s notice anywhere in the European theater.”

Units participating in the deployment include 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, under the command of 1st Infantry Division Artillery.

The unit, which is part of 18th Airborne Corps’ field artillery brigade, deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Germany at the start of Russia’s invasion in February.

The deployment was intended to shore up the number of U.S. troops in Europe, “and add a highly mobile, long-range precision fires platform in support of NATO defense,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa stated.

The exercise comes amid increased tensions between Russia and NATO in recent days.

The West’s flow of money and weapons to Ukraine has drawn the ire of the Kremlin, and President Vladimir Putin upped the ante last Wednesday, making a veiled threat of using nuclear weapons .

In an ABC News interview Sunday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration was taking the threat “very seriously,” but remained committed to the defense of Ukraine.

“He started way back in February when Russian tanks first rolled across the border, brandishing that nuclear card,” Sullivan said. “And that has not deterred us from providing more than $15 billion in weapons to Ukraine, helping them defend their country. And it will not deter us now.”

Since Russia’s invasion, the U.S. has sent Ukraine 140 Howitzers and nearly 1 million artillery rounds, 16 HIMARS systems and ammunition, nearly 700 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems and eight Surface-to-air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, among other weaponry, according to the Forum on the Arms Trade .

Most recent estimates put the total dollar amount of military aid at $15.8 billion.

The Biden administration has thus far opted not to furnish Ukrainian requests for Army Tactical Missile Systems out of concern that it could escalate the conflict. Russia’s Foreign Ministry threatened that missiles with a longer range than HIMARS, like ATACMS, cross a “red line” and would make the U.S. “a party to the conflict.”

Latvia, a NATO member that shares more than 125 miles of border with Russia, has also equipped its eastern European neighbor. According to a statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Latvia has given Kyiv two Soviet-era Mi-17s and two Mi-2s, along with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

Zamone “Z” Perez is a reporter at Military Times. He previously worked at Foreign Policy and Ufahamu Africa. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he researched international ethics and atrocity prevention in his thesis. He can be found on Twitter @zamoneperez.

美国陆军欧洲和非洲司令部发表声明称，陆军将向拉脱维亚派遣两套高机动性火箭炮系统，用于该国的国家战备演习。

声明称，将有大约十几名人员随火箭系统部署到名为“Namejs 2022”的演习中。美军士兵正在与盟友和伙伴协调，演练快速部署远程“精确火力打击能力”。

HIMARS 将使用两架 C-130 飞机和美国特种作战司令部第 352 特种作战联队的空军人员迅速部署到拉脱维亚。

“我们很荣幸能与我们在拉脱维亚的盟友并肩作战，共同支持北约的集体使命，”第一步兵师炮兵指挥官理查德·伊克纳上校在一份声明中表示。“纳梅伊斯演习为我们提供了一个提升战备水平、加强与北约盟友关系的契机。它也展现了我们能够迅速部署士兵和远程精确火力，随时支援欧洲战区任何地点的能力。”

参与此次部署的部队包括第1步兵师炮兵指挥下的第321野战炮兵团第3营。

该部队隶属于第18空降军野战炮兵旅，于2月份苏联入侵德国之初从北卡罗来纳州布拉格堡部署到德国。

美国陆军欧洲和非洲司令部表示，此次部署旨在加强驻欧美军人数，“并增加一个高度机动、远程精确火力平台，以支持北约防御”。

此次演习正值俄罗斯与北约近几日紧张局势加剧之际。

西方向乌克兰输送资金和武器激怒了克里姆林宫，弗拉基米尔·普京总统上周三加大了力度，隐晦地威胁要使用核武器。

周日，国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文在接受美国广播公司新闻采访时表示，拜登政府“非常重视”这一威胁，但仍致力于保卫乌克兰。

“早在二月份，俄罗斯坦克首次越过边境，亮出核武器牌的时候，他就开始这么做了，”苏利文说。“但这并没有阻止我们向乌克兰提供超过150亿美元的武器，帮助他们保卫国家。现在也不会阻止我们。”

据武器贸易论坛报道，自俄罗斯入侵以来，美国已向乌克兰提供了 140 门榴弹炮和近 100 万发炮弹、16 套 HIMARS 系统和弹药、近 700 套“凤凰幽灵”战术无人机系统和 8 套地对空导弹系统（NASAMS）以及其他武器。

据最新估计，军事援助总额为158亿美元。

拜登政府迄今为止选择不向乌克兰提供陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS）的要求，担心此举可能导致冲突升级。俄罗斯外交部威胁称，射程比HIMARS更远的导弹，例如ATACMS，将越过“红线”，使美国“成为冲突一方”。

北约成员国拉脱维亚与俄罗斯接壤，拥有超过125英里的共同边界线。拉脱维亚也向其东欧邻国乌克兰提供了武器装备。根据乌克兰国防部的一份声明，拉脱维亚向基辅提供了两架苏联时代的米-17直升机和两架米-2直升机，以及“毒刺”防空导弹。

扎莫内·“Z”·佩雷斯是《军事时报》的记者。他曾就职于《外交政策》和《乌法哈姆非洲》。他毕业于西北大学，毕业论文研究国际伦理和暴行预防。他的推特账号是@zamoneperez。