FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska: Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment and 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiments are training and qualifying to operate the Army’s Stryker Mobile Gun System at the Yukon Training Area behind Eielson Air Force Base.
The MGS is a variant of the Army’s Stryker and is used in combat to directly support infantry elements on the battle field. With its combination of precision fire, various tactical ammunitions and mobile agility it can be deployed against heavy and light-armored vehicles, bunkers, fortified positions and dismounted troops either stationary or moving.
“What we’re doing out here is qualification exercises,” said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Preston, brigade master gunner for the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
More than 54 Soldiers in all have spent the last few weeks training night and day to qualify as MGS crews.
The Soldiers go through eight levels of training called “tables” to be considered proficient at their tasks, the last of which is a day and night qualification test built to assess the crew’s ability to operate the vehicle and fire on target.
