Army Aviators Work Maritime Tactics
Spotlight / By MAJ Ian Benson and MAJ Erin Braswell: 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry AH-64s from 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Task Force Saber participated in sinking a target vessel as an exercise (SINKEX), part of the annual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises. The Navy provided a decommissioned naval vessel that was anchored over 50 miles offshore and engaged by over 6 different Naval, Air force and Army platforms. The AH-64 conducted eight different engagements against the littoral target and validated the helicopter’s lethality not only on land but in the littoral environment as well. Two U.S. Army AH-64D Apache...
Learn MoreRecruiting the Future Today
Chief Warrant Officer of the Branch / By CW5 Joseph B. Roland and CW4 David J. Stock II: In order to provide no-fail support to our nation and the warfighter on the ground, Army Aviation strives to access, train, and develop the best aviation warfighters in the world. CW2 Sean Quillin, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, greets Jeff Coleman, aviation instructor at Emerald Ridge High School, after landing his UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on the school’s football field. His visit to the high school was part of a partnership with the school’s aviation program which gives aspiring pilots...
Learn MoreGetting It Right
PEO Aviation / By BG Thomas H. Todd III: Aviation Family, I was deeply honored to receive the charter to become the Program Executive Officer for Army Aviation in January. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to return to the tremendous team of more than 3,000 Soldiers, civilians and support contractors who make up this world class organization. The engineering development model UH-60V Black Hawk hovers above the runway as part of its successful initial test flight Jan. 19 in Meridianville, AL. The UH-60V is being designed to update existing UH-60L analog architecture with a digital infrastructure to address evolving interoperability...
Learn MoreThe Greatest Generation Remembers Pearl Harbor Day
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer, CPT Heba Bullock and SGT Daniel K. Johnson: The 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor was an opportunity to honor our “Greatest Generation” as they endured incredible sacrifices on December 7, 1941, the “date which will live in infamy.” Thomas Pesto, a Pearl Harbor survivor, addresses Soldiers, veterans, civilians and family members at the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony at Wheeler Army Airfield Hangar 206 on December 5, 2016. The hangar was the first to come under attack on the “day that will live in infamy.” Soldiers from the...
Learn MoreExpeditionary Fight
601st Aviation Support Battalion BSA / By LTC Aaron M. McPeake, MAJ Jason Knapp, and CPT Mark A. Yore: Seldom does an aviation support battalion (ASB) have the opportunity to train at one of the Army’s combat training centers (CTC). Without the advantage of scheduled rotations to a CTC, training to achieve mission essential task (MET) proficiency in an expeditionary environment must be conducted at home station. The 601st ASB, Fort Riley, Kansas achieved that through nesting training with our supported battalion’s mission readiness training exercise (MRX). With nearly 30% of the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade’s (1CAB), 1st Infantry Division...
Learn MorePM JAMS: Production Challenges in Today’s Environment
Arming the Force / By COL David Warnick, LTC Phillip Rottenborn, Mr. Forrest Collier, and Mr. Timothy Kay: As part of the Army Aviation and Missile Materiel Enterprise, the Joint Attack Munition Systems (JAMS) Project Office develops, fields, and sustains versatile weapon systems for the U.S. Army, Joint, and Coalition War-fighters, providing decisive advantages. For more than 30 years, the JAMS Project Office (under many names) has delivered more than 80,000 HELLFIRE missiles and 4.5 million Hydra-70 rockets/motors to the U.S. Warfighters and coalition partners. Today, the JAMS Project Office consists of three product offices: the Aviation Rockets and Small...
Learn MoreArmy Aviation Enterprise Sustainment Strategy
Aviation Maintenance / By COL K. Todd Royar and Mr. Thomas J. Barthel:There is a famous quote from writer Lewis Carroll, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” The Army aviation enterprise exists in an environment of constant change and perpetual motion. The methodologies used in developing, acquiring, maintaining and sustaining increasingly more complex aviation systems and the requirements to support those systems are numerous and often duplicative. Who decides their overall accountability or adherence to a common aviation sustainment goal, with specific objectives that make the entire aviation enterprise more efficient and...
Learn MoreUnified Action – Enabling Readiness at the Point of Need
Aviation Maintenance / By Mr. William P. Marriott and Mr. David L. Ward: In February 2016, in an effort to better enable unity of command, and provide improved support for our Warfighters, the Army Materiel Command (AMC) directed a major reorganization initiative. Published as OPORDER 16-189, AMC aligned the research, development, and engineering centers (RDECs) and contracting centers under the operational control (OPCON) of their associated life cycle management commands (AMCOM, CECOM and TACOM). For AMCOM, this meant that the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) and the Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal (ACC-R) fell under...
Learn MoreSustaining Army Aviation in the Future: Readiness in a Complex World
Aviation Maintenance / By COL Shawn T. Prickett and Mr. Tod L. Glidewell: Army Aviation is deployed world-wide with simultaneous missions on several continents in support of Joint Forces. To win, Army Aviation forces must provide the commander with multiple options, integrate the efforts of multiple partners, and operate across multiple domains to provide solutions while presenting our enemies and adversaries with multiple dilemmas. As we seek to comprehend the environment of the Army Operating Concept (AOC), we must remain cognizant of what our leaders have challenged us to accomplish. That is, “to focus on big questions and not focus...
Learn MoreTobacco Cessation
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ Sonya Horwell, M.D: Q: Doc, I want to stop smoking. What resources are available? Can I use any medications and still remain on flight status? FS: You are making the right choice. More than 400,000 deaths in the United States are attributed to cigarette smoking every year. Studies have shown associations between smoking and coronary heart disease, lung disease, peptic ulcer disease, impotence, and pregnancy complications. It also has been shown to increase your risk of developing certain cancers within the lungs, head, neck, esophagus, pancreas, and bladder. In addition, smoking accelerates skin...
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