Adapting to the New Normal
President’s Cockpit / By MG Jeff Schloesser, U.S. Army Retired: As we go to print for this July issue, our country and much of the world is still facing major disruptions and challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no doubt we will rise above the virus, but it will cause us all, and our Army, to adapt to a New Normal. In this issue, the TRADOC Commanding General, General Paul Funk, lays out just how TRADOC and the Army is leading the way in operationalizing the Generating Force across the enterprise: as he calls it, leading to a new operating...
Learn MoreAviation Professional Development Goes Virtual at USMA
By COL Rich Melnyk and CPT Jonathan Lunde: The Black Knights chapter at West Point has a mission to support the selection and development of the future leaders of our branch. The cadets at West Point were already on Spring Break when the pandemic started to shut down functions across the country, so Academy leadership made the decision to leave the cadets at home and continue academics remotely. To avoid having a class of Aviators leave without the branch-specific professional development normally provided to graduating classes, the AAAA team, in conjunction with the branch accession representative went virtual. The U.S....
Learn MoreMaking COVID-19 More Bearable!
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer, MG (Ret.) Jeff & Patty Schlosser, Park City, UT: We decided to adopt a puppy since we are home and not traveling!!!! He keeps us very busy and laughing!! Also, I never thought I would clean so much. Although our ski season was cut short, we continue to go snowshoeing and hiking in the great outdoors—social distancing at its best! SGT Ted E. Bear, a Fort Rucker landmark, wears his AER inspired face mask while he tallies progress made in raising funds for this year’s AER campaign – Stop the Spread / PHOTO BY...
Learn MoreThe Power of Data Analytics in Aviation Sustainment
Special Operations / By CW4 Jason Slusse: How can technology and data analytics improve mission readiness and reduce risk? We are entering an era where predictive data analytics, through Artificial Intelligence (AI), can improve Aviation sustainment. When it comes to data analytics, an organization cannot expect to have valuable, visualized information from their data without doing some work up front. ALL GRAPHICS COURTESY U.S. ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS AVIATION COMMAND What we see in the data analytics dashboards are just the “tip of the iceberg” in the process and it only depicts the visualization piece of this puzzle. Identifying data sources,...
Learn MoreAllergic Rhinitis
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT (Dr.) Joseph R. Adams and Dr. Steven D. Harris: Q: My allergies have been acting up lately. I’ve been experiencing nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, sneezing, and itchy eyes. I also feel fatigued and easily irritated. Should I be concerned? FS: This is a classic description of allergic rhinitis. Common symptoms include episodes of sneezing, runny nose, congestion, itchy/watery eyes, cough, irritability, and fatigue. While this is a very common condition affecting anywhere from 10% to 30% of Americans, it can lead to significant impairment in aviators. Allergic rhinitis can be caused by...
Learn MoreArmy Special Operations Aviation – Seeking Innovators
By CW5 David F. Greenwood: Empowering innovation is the hallmark of Special Operations Forces (SOF). This fact is proven time and time again in the history of SOF and Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA). A quick review of our past is ripe with examples. The GenesisThe need for dedicated and specially trained Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) aviation support was identified because of the failed rescue attempt of American hostages during Operation EAGLE CLAW. The subsequent effort to improve joint and special operations warfare led to the formation of Task Forces 158 and 160, comprised of aviation companies from the...
Learn MoreUncertain Times – Preparing for Future Operations
USASOAC Commander / By BG Allan M. Pepin: A year ago, nobody predicted the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. It reinforces the reality we will not know with certainty all the conditions impacting our future missions. Soldiers board a C-27J aircraft from the USASOC Flight Company, U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (Airborne), at Fort Sam Houston, Texas in April 2020. The UFC used its unique C-27J capability to transport Soldiers from the Medical Center of Excellence to their next duty assignment. Flight crews from the UFC have conducted numerous controlled air movements to maintain readiness and reduce the potential spread...
Learn MoreThe Team
Army Aviation Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: I am extremely proud of our Special Operations Aviation and the close working relationship that exists between them and our conventional Army Aviation forces. This relationship that developed over many years of shared lessons learned in training and combat, established a common understanding and trust between the two organizations. Special Operations Command Pacific units from Naval Special Warfare, 1SFG, 160th SOAR and 353rd SOG conducted Exercise Tempest Wind 2019 (TW19). TW19 involved tactical training with weapons, close-quarter combat, helicopter insertions, maritime boat operations, mission planning, communications, and development. / U.S. NAVY...
Learn MoreThe ARSOA and Conventional Army Aviation Team
President’s Cockpit / By MG Jeff Schloesser, U.S. Army Retired: Our focus for June is Army Special Operations Aviation – ARSOA. From the outside looking in, ARSOA may seem to be much, much different than conventional Army Aviation. Those of us who have served in both know that ARSOA and conventional Army Aviation are in fact complementary. A Soldier with the 601st Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, conducts routine maintenance on an AH-64 Apache helicopter on May 6, 2020, at Fort Riley, KS. Soldiers with the CAB continue to support mission-readiness while simultaneously preventing the spread of...
Learn MoreModernizing and Integrating Sustainment Solutions for Today and Tomorrow
AMCOM 2020 / By MG K. Todd Royar: Army Aviation is at a strategic crossroad as we transition to a modernized aviation force that fully supports Multi Domain Operations (MDO) on a near-peer/peer threat, Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) battlefield. It is an exciting time to be part of the development of future Army Aviation systems and developing robust, modernized sustainment solutions that will support both our enduring fleets and the modernized fleet that is Future Vertical Lift (FVL). The Aviation Enterprise is working together to modernize and integrate aviation sustainment solutions that will improve Army Aviation’s support to the future...
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