The 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment will case their colors Friday, at 10 a.m., during a deployment ceremony at Wilson Fitness Center, on North Fort Lewis, in preparation for the unit's upcoming deployment to Iraq. The unit will deploy about 500 service members in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Once deployed, the battalion will disperse to about 15 forward operating bases across Iraq to provide Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) "sense and warn" capabilities to detect incoming indirect fire attacks and to alert forces.

C-RAM is a system that seeks to counter rocket, artillery, and mortar attacks on the FOBs where American service members live and work.  C-RAM integrates sensors, loudspeakers, and the Land Based Phalanx Weapons System (LPWS - a type of Gatling gun) into a system that warns and protects friendly forces from indirect fire. 

Task Force 5-5 ADA "Dragonslayers" is I Corps' only Air Defense Artillery unit.

This is the unit's third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They completed their most recent deployment in May 2008.