3rd Corps Sustainment Command Soldiers Complete Day-Night Defensive Live-Fire at Fort Bragg
Soldiers from the 18th Corps Finance Battalion, 3rd Corps Sustainment Command, conducted a defensive live-fire exercise with M240 machine guns at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on May 6, 2026. The training equips finance and sustainment personnel to defend high-value command posts and supply nodes in contested environments.
3dprintingindustry.comFORT BRAGG, North Carolina — A U.S. Army M240 machine gun team assigned to the 18th Corps Finance Battalion, 3rd Corps Sustainment Command, engaged targets during a day and night defensive live-fire exercise at Fort Bragg on May 6, 2026.
The exercise involved soldiers from finance and sustainment units who do not routinely perform infantry tasks. Per the U.S. Department of Defense release, the assistant gunner spotted target impacts, called out fire adjustments, and maintained continuous ammunition feed so the gunner could focus downrange.
Crews operated under detailed sector sketches that synchronized suppressive fire and lethal accuracy.
The training shifts non-combat sustainment soldiers from baseline qualification to full proficiency in crew-served weapons defense. Prior to the exercise, these units held standard individual weapons qualifications; the new state requires them to master synchronized M240 employment for perimeter security.
The change took effect immediately upon completion of the May 6 drill and integrates into ongoing readiness cycles.
Downstream, the 3rd Corps Sustainment Command must now certify these finance soldiers for deployment rotations where they guard command posts and supply nodes. Unit commanders will incorporate the sector-sketch templates into future pre-deployment exercises.
Army logisticians gain the operational capacity to free combat arms troops for offensive missions rather than static defense. The certification also updates the 18th Corps Finance Battalion's readiness reporting metrics submitted to higher headquarters.
This live-fire builds on standard Army sustainment training protocols that have expanded since 2022 to include contested logistics scenarios. The CENTCOM daily release shows the 3rd Corps Sustainment Command continues a series of similar drills designed to prepare support units for peer-level threats.
The May 6 exercise produced no reported injuries and consumed standard ranges at Fort Bragg. Photos released by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service document the M240 teams in both daylight and low-light conditions.
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