Soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, drive the Sgt. Stout to the firing range during Formidable Shield 25 on May 6, 2025, in Andøya, Norway. CAPT. ALEXANDER WATKINS/U.S. ARMY
THE WATCH STAFF
The United States Army’s newest air defense platform recently held its first Arctic live fire alongside NATO allies, while another air defense unit deployed the Avenger Air Defense System in Africa for the first time. Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADAR), joined NATO allies in the Arctic Circle near Andøya, Norway, for Exercise Formidable Shield 2025, testing the U.S. Army’s newest short-range air defense system, the Sgt. Stout, in multiple live-fire operations.
The event, held May 6-9, marked the first time the Sgt. Stout fired Stinger missiles in an exercise with NATO allies and partners, highlighting the critical role of ground-based air defenses within the alliance’s integrated air and missile defense structure.
The Sgt. Stout consists of a Stryker vehicle with mounted Stinger missiles, onboard radar and a 30 mm cannon. The vehicle, formerly known as the Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, or M-SHORAD, was renamed in 2024 for Sgt. Mitchell W. Stout, the only air defense artillery Soldier to receive the Medal of Honor. On March 12, 1970, in Vietnam, Stout was killed when he grabbed an enemy grenade thrown into his bunker and used his body to shield his fellow Soldiers from the blast.
During Formidable Shield 2025, over several late-night live-fire events, U.S. Army air defenders engaged target drones simulating low-altitude threats. Soldiers from 5-4 ADAR executed drills to test their ability to engage aerial targets from the Sgt. Stout while dismounted.
When one Sgt. Stout could not lock onto a target, its crew executed a well-trained battle drill: They got out of the vehicle and fired a Stinger missile at the target. Their success demonstrated the air defenders’ decision-making, resourcefulness and adaptability.
Formidable Shield 2025 featured 16 warships, 27 aircraft and eight ground units from 11 NATO and partner nations. Norwegian and U.S. air defense crews on Andøya Island acted as a final protective layer, ready to engage any threats that slipped past naval defenses in the Norwegian Sea. The Sgt. Stout, designed to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters and cruise missiles, served as a backup to ship-based and high-altitude interceptors operated by other NATO forces.
“Our radar here can only see so far, but we push what we see to the network, and the ships that maybe can’t see over here get early warning,” said Maj. Ben Bowman, battalion operations officer, in an Army news release. “Likewise, they can see a track further out than we can, so we have a heads-up that something’s coming a lot earlier and that just gives us the edge.”
Meanwhile, more than 5,600 kilometers away in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, reached another air defense milestone with the first deployment of the Avenger Air Defense System in Africa. The Avenger includes eight Stinger missiles mounted on a Humvee for mobile air defense. The live-fire training was part of the African Lion 2025 (AL25) exercise, which took place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia.
“By integrating our systems with those of our allies, we ensure that any potential adversary faces a unified, technologically advanced defense,” said Col. Haileyesus Bairu, the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade commander, in an Army news release. “This makes it far more difficult for hostile forces to threaten the United States or our partners.”
AL25 is the largest annual military exercise in Africa, bringing together over 40 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic and collaborative training in an austere environment.
“We leave this exercise more prepared, more confident, and more capable than when we arrived,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Robinson, the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade senior enlisted advisor. “That’s the true measure of success for us, and it’s what keeps our homeland safe.”