After arriving in Chile, the U.S. Army’s M142 HIMARS rocket systems are beginning their deployment in northern Chile as part of the Bilateral Exercise Southern Phoenix 2024. The exercise will take place from August 27 to September 5 in the Atacama Desert.
According to official social media posts by U.S. Southern Command, the M142 HIMARS are now in the Tarapacá operational area, north of Iquique, where various maneuvers will be conducted. Notably, this is the first time such a system has been deployed in the area of responsibility of U.S. Southern Command.
Regarding the M142’s participation in Southern Phoenix 24, “the main training events will include a combination of forcible entry, airfield seizure, Rapid HIMARS Integration (HIRAIN), Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (RSO&I), and a combined Field Training Exercise (FTX) culminating in two Live Fire Exercises (LFX); one with maneuver forces and another with rocket artillery forces…”
Before moving to the operational site, the deployed units were prepared at the facilities of the II Armored Brigade “Cazadores.” It is expected that 500 Chilean Army personnel, along with their equipment from the 6th Division, will participate, based in the Tarapacá region.
On the U.S. side, around 200 personnel from various units will be deployed, including U.S. Army South, the 11th Airborne Division, the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, Joint Task Force Bravo, the Joint Communications Support Element, the Texas Army National Guard, the Utah Army National Guard, the New York National Guard, language support, and the Inter-American Air Forces Academy.
Southern Phoenix 24 aims to “improve technical and procedural interoperability between the Chilean and U.S. armies while fostering stronger hemispheric cooperation and collaboration. The activities conducted during SF24 align with SOUTHCOM’s Campaign Plan and the U.S. National Defense Strategy, contributing to the broader goal of strengthening security and defense alliances throughout the region.”
Image credits: U.S. Southern Command.
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