One Army! One Standard! Two Pay Scales?
Reserve Components / By BG Jami C. Shawley, COL Andrew D. Cecil, CW5 Michael G. Siedler, and CSM Juddiah G. Mooso: Readiness is Number One. There is no other Number One. A key driver of readiness in Army Reserve Aviation is Non-Rated Crewmembers (NRCM). SFC Mark Judd (second from right), an aircraft components repair supervisor and platoon sergeant with D Co, 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, 244th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, poses for a photo with the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew who flew the aircraft for his in-flight reenlistment ceremony near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, June 18, 2019. / U.S....
Learn MoreReducing NMCM to Increase the FMC Rate
AMCOM Command Sergeant Major Update / By CSM Mike Dove: What is Non Mission Capable Maintenance (NMCM) time? How is it calculated? Why is it important? How can we reduce the NMCM time? Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery are getting acquainted with the UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters during sling load training./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO GEN Perna, the commander of the United States Army Materiel Command, has asked the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) to see what we can do to reduce our NMCM time in order to achieve a Fully Mission Capable (FMC)...
Learn MoreArmy Aviation – Lethal and Decisive
Aviation Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: The discussion of the future of Army Aviation requires an understanding of where we’re going and how we’re getting there. Where We’re Going A tactical air control party from the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Carson, Colorado, prepares for helicopter / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY MSGT. BAUMGARTNER, USAF extraction by the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade. The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) highlighted Russia and China as our proximate and pacing threats. The requirement to change how we train and fight is the catalyst for the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)...
Learn MoreIt’s Time to Get After It!
President’s Cockpit / MG Jeff Schloesser, U.S. Army Retired: Army Aviation is moving out to achieve a lethal, decisive and sustainable Multi-Domain Operations maneuver and fires capability by 2028. MG (Ret.) Jeff Schloesser, AAAA President, with the Army Aviation Senior Leadership at the Army Aviation Congressional Caucus during an AAAA-sponsored breakfast in Washington, DC, May 16, 2019. / AAPI PHOTO BY BILL HARRIS From left, MG Dave Francis, U.S. Army Aviation Branch Chief; MG Thomas Todd, PEO Aviation; BG Allan Pepin, Commanding General, U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command; Mr. William Marriott, then-Executive Director, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command;...
Learn MoreMobilization in the Army National Guard (ARNG) – Citizen Soldiers, at the Ready!
Reserve / By COL Joseph W. Bishop: Our National Guard Aviation formations are ready and eager to support our nation’s operational missions. Recently, the 449th Theater Aviation Brigade (TAB) was tasked with the tactical employment of aeromedical evacuation, attack helicopter, security, air movement, air assault, and reconnaissance support to coalition forces throughout Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, and Turkey. Patients being evacuated on-board a 449th Aviation Brigade Task Force MEDEVAC aircraft during a culminating training event (CTE). The CTE was an air assault utilizing all elements of the Brigade Task Force./ ARMY NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO The mission was to degrade and...
Learn MoreOne Army, One Team, One Mission!
By CW5 Clarence W. Shockley: The Army Senior Leadership from the Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army down has embraced and is inculcating the “One Army!” Today we are faced with the challenge of supporting counter insurgency operations (COIN) while improving our skillsets necessary to conduct large scale combat operations (LSCO) to meet the “Mission” as outlined in the National Defense Strategy. The concept of LSCO is not new for many of us who were in the Army prior to 9/11, but it may be for many in our Branch who have joined since then....
Learn MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Nathan H. Kwan, M.D. & MAJ Titus J. Rund, O.D.: The topic for this issue is Obstructive Sleep Apnea, an all too common condition with potential for negative impact on flight safety. The quality of Soldiers’ sleep has a direct bearing on readiness, said Col. Vincent Mysliwiec. Shown here, paratroopers ride in a C-17 from Alaska to their jump site in Australia, a duration of 17 hours that left many trying to get some pre-jump rest on the aircraft. (Photo Credit: David Vergun) BackgroundObstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition where breathing is...
Learn MoreFighting Fires: Task Force Heavy Cav Soldiers Train to Combat Fires
By CPT Roxana M. Thompson: Petroleum supply specialists are trained to receive, store and ship petroleum in large quantities safely and securely to ensure that all military aircraft are properly fueled to accomplish operations. However, the work of these Soldiers can be dangerous given that petroleum is a highly flammable substance and handling it requires detailed procedures and training. If not properly trained, the mishandling of petroleum can lead to fires causing serious damage to aircraft in an aviation unit and result in severe injuries or can even cause the death of a Soldier, to include pilots, if not extinguished...
Learn MoreMeet Our New Army Aviation Center of Excellence First Lady
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: MG David J. Francis took command of USAACE and Fort Rucker on June 17, and shortly after while still unpacking boxes and settling into her new role, his wife Jodie graciously agreed to this interview and allow our readers to get to know her. – Judy MG David J. Francis and his wife Jodie are surrounded by all but three of their family members after MG Francis’s promotion ceremony and his assumption of command of U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker on June 17, 2019. It was a very special day...
Learn MoreEvolving Standards
DAMO-AV / By CW5 Michael L. Lewis Jr.: CW5 Jon Koziol and I conducted a handover of the Army Aviation standardization desk at DAMO-AV earlier this spring. As he departed for Ft. Rucker, he told me that the nine square feet of the standardization desk may be overshadowed by the other 6.6 million in the Pentagon, but those square feet never contain a dull moment. A paratrooper with 3-82 Avn. at Ft. Bragg, NC deploys a Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS). / U.S. ARMY PHOTO By the time an issue reaches the desk, all the easy questions have been answered. Hard...
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