Army Fires Center of Excellence

Army Fires Center of Excellence
Unit name	Army Fires Center of Excellence
Caption	Insignia at Fort Sill
Dates	2009–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Training and doctrine
Garrison	Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Commander	Commandant

Army Fires Center of Excellence The Army Fires Center of Excellence is a United States Army training, doctrine, and force development organization located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It integrates field artillery, air defense artillery, and related systems to support combat operations with fire support, close air support, and integrated air and missile defense. The Center aligns with concepts from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Central Command, United States Africa Command, Department of Defense modernization initiatives, and interoperability standards used by NATO partner militaries such as the United Kingdom Armed Forces, Canadian Armed Forces, and Australian Defence Force.

History

The Center evolved from legacy institutions that trace roots to the Artillery School and the Coast Artillery Corps of the early 20th century, consolidated during interwar reforms influenced by leaders like John J. Pershing and doctrinal thinkers associated with the United States Army War College and Command and General Staff College. Post–Cold War realignments, Base Realignment and Closure decisions, and the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations led to reorganizations culminating in the 2009 activation of the Center at Fort Sill. Its lineage reflects campaigns and operations including lessons learned from the Persian Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and doctrinal shifts observed after studies by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the RAND Corporation.

Mission and Organization

The Center's mission aligns training and doctrine for fire support and air defense across Active Duty, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard components, supporting combatant commands and multinational coalitions such as NATO and partnerships with the Inter-American Defense Board. Organizationally it reports through the TRADOC enterprise, liaises with the Training and Doctrine Command, collaborates with the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, and integrates requirements with capability developers such as Army Futures Command and program executive offices like PEO Missiles and Space. Staff sections coordinate doctrine, materiel, personnel, and training with organizations including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, and services such as the United States Marine Corps.

Training and Schools

The Center hosts formal instruction for officers and enlisted personnel via the Field Artillery School and the Air Defense Artillery School, offering resident and distributed courses tied to career progression models promulgated by the Army Human Resources Command and the Sergeant Major Academy. Courses emphasize gunnery, fire direction, radar operation, missile systems, target acquisition, and joint fires integration, incorporating systems like the M777 howitzer, HIMARS, Patriot missile, and the AN/TPQ-53 radar. Training partnerships include exercises with the National Training Center, the Joint Readiness Training Center, and multinational events such as RIMPAC and NATO Steadfast Defender.

Major Units and Components

Key subordinate units and elements include the Field Artillery School (United States), the Air Defense Artillery School (United States), doctrine teams that contribute to FM 3-09, and test and evaluation detachments that coordinate with U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command and the Redstone Test Center. Support elements encompass logistics units linked to Depot Maintenance, range management collaborating with the National Guard Bureau, and training support brigades that enable live-fire and simulated exercises alongside partner units from the United Kingdom Royal Artillery and German Bundeswehr.

Facilities and Infrastructure

Located primarily at Fort Sill, the Center manages ranges, live-fire areas, and integrated air defense testbeds adjacent to the Geronimo Live Fire Range and the Rogers Range Complex. Infrastructure investments have included upgrades to simulation centers, radar instrumentation, and networked command post trainers compatible with Army Battle Command System and joint systems like the Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team. Installation support interacts with agencies such as the Base Realignment and Closure Commission legacy programs, the Army Corps of Engineers, and civilian partners in Oklahoma City metropolitan planning.

Doctrine and Capabilities

Doctrine developed and promulgated at the Center informs joint and combined fires doctrine and integrates close air support doctrine influenced by the United States Air Force and naval fire support concepts from the United States Navy. Capabilities papers and concept briefings coordinate with Army Futures Command modernization priorities including long-range precision fires, integrated air and missile defense, networked sensors, and effects-based targeting used in operations alongside Coalition forces in theater campaigns and multinational contingency plans shaped by NATO Allied Command Operations.

Insignia and Traditions

Ceremonial symbols, unit heraldry, and colors reflect the heritage of the Field Artillery Branch (United States Army) and the Air Defense Artillery Branch (United States Army), with traditions such as the transfer of the cannon and salute battery observed during parades honoring historical figures like Henry Knox and commemorations tied to anniversaries of campaigns such as the Siege of Vicksburg and the Battle of San Juan Hill. The Center maintains museums and historical collections that coordinate exhibits with institutions like the U.S. Army Center of Military History and local heritage organizations in Comanche County, Oklahoma.

Category:United States Army training installations