2-week exercise at JBLM might include nighttime cannons and mortars

South Sound residents might hear more artillery booms than usual during a 15-day exercise that begins next week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

It’s a warmup for a Stryker brigade that is preparing for a one-month test at the National Training Center in the Mojave Desert, scheduled for April, JBLM announced Wednesday.

This month’s drills at JBLM and at the Yakima Training Center are expected to incorporate howitzer cannons and mortars, as well as some collaboration with Apache attack helicopters.

The exercise will begin Monday and is expected to conclude Feb. 23.

The unit heading into the field is the 1st Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, which this month also is sending some of its soldiers to a series of exercises in East Asia.

The brigade used to be called the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. It deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan four times between 2003 and 2012. Now it’s carrying out more training closer to home in case it’s called up for an emergency.

JBLM plans to end the local exercise by 8 p.m. from Feb. 13 to Feb. 15, which might help ease disturbances for Valentine’s Day dates.

People with questions or comments about noise are asked to call the base’s public affairs office at 253-967-0852.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 2:10 PM with the headline "2-week exercise at JBLM might include nighttime cannons and mortars."