Is Army Aviation Being Marginalized?
Army force structure is under attack from multiple directions. Army leadership is struggling to keep active end strength from going below 490k and there are some proponents who advocate for numbers under 400k! The Army and Army Aviation wisely embarked on a plan to get out in front of the budget hackers who believe that salami slicing a warfighting force is prudent means for achieving monetary targets. The Aviation Restructure Initiative was created in response to this threat; had it not, the outcome for the Army Aviation Enterprise could have been far worse.Now the latest indignity to occur: the disestablishment...
Learn MoreThe Current Issue
Current Issue 2022 Summit – The Best Ever! AAAA President’s Cockpit / MG Tim Crosby, U.S. Army Retired:…Read More… Welcome to the Summit! President’s Cockpit / MG Tim Crosby, U.S. Army Retired: Well, it is finally here, our first AAAA Annual Summit in three years. It has been some roller coaster ride through years of pandemic, shut-downs, masks, social distancing and all the rest. Let’s pray…Read More… Clarifying Misconceptions on COVID-19 Vaccines Ask the Flight Surgeon – By MAJ Matthew R. Cooper, DO Let’s start with a brief synopsis of COVID-19. It is caused by a coronavirus, the same family of viruses that...
Learn MoreRealizing the Full Potential of UAS in Air-Ground Operations
By MG Michael D. Lundy Over the past 25 years, the role and demand for unmanned aircraft systems increased dramatically. We have come a long way from a few, modestly capable Pioneer UAS deployed at the theater level during Desert Storm, to the rapid fielding of hundreds upon hundreds of unmanned systems ranging from the simple to sophisticated into nearly every echelon of our Army today. An Apache helicopter takes off at Dugway’s Michael Army Airfield as the Shadow unmanned aircraft is readied for its flight onto the battlefield. – Credit: U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY KARI HAWKINSGiven this dramatic increase...
Learn MoreRevitalizing “5 by 5” Comms
One of my favorite films is a Paul Newman flick, the 1967 film, Cool Hand Luke. One of the most memorable phrases was “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate” spoken at different points in the movie; first, by Strother Martin (the prison warden) and later Newman (as Luke, a young prisoner). I like to focus on communication as one whose left brain (math, science, logic and reasoning) tends to overpower his right (imaginative thinking). I’ve noticed of late that as a society, we are experiencing a noticeable failure to communicate; and that can only be to the detriment...
Learn MoreDuckworth Honored
Former Army Aviator, Representative Tammy Duckworth, 8th District, Illinois, was recently honored at the 2013 Easter Seals Advocacy Awards Dinner in Washington, DC. Duckworth, who was severely injured while flying a Blackhawk in Iraq in 2004, continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois National Guard and had served previously as an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is a leading advocate on Capitol Hill for wounded warriors and disabled veterans. Pictured are (r to l) former AAAA National President MG (Ret.) Carl H. McNair, Jr.; Duckworth; McNair’s wife, Jo Ann; and Mrs. Jane Merryman,...
Learn MoreThe Membership Corner
AAAA Membership CW5 (Ret.) Dave Cooper Do you ever wonder who is joining AAAA? As you know, AAAA has a unique cross section of members … Aviation Soldiers, acquisition professionals, industry partners, and retirees. As of this writing, AAAA’s newest member is none of the above. Recently LTC Pete Barger, commander of 1st Battalion (Airfield Operations), 245th Aviation Regiment said, “I wanted to expose Soldiers outside the Aviation MOSs to AAAA; so, to do this I asked the Thunderbird chapter to acquaint my headquarters company Soldiers with AAAA.” Kevin Tullberg, the chapter enrollment vice president gave the briefing. He discussed what...
Learn MoreTRADOC Capability Manager for Lift Update
Special Focus – TRADOC Capability Manager Update —By COL Erskine R. Bentley II The TRADOC Capability Manager for Lift (TCM-Lift) is the user advocate for Army Aviation capabilities that enable our Aviation formations to support the ground commander with: air assault and air movement of troops, equipment and supplies; airborne medical evacuation; airborne command and control; intra-theater air movement of key leaders; and sustainment and support to law enforcement and other government agencies across the United States and throughout the world. We do this by closely coordinating with the Aviation units throughout the Army, sister Services and our counterpart project...
Learn MoreTRADOC Capability Manager for Reconnaissance and Attack Update By COL John M. Lynch, Jr.
Special Focus – TRADOC Capability Manager Update —By COL John M. Lynch, Jr. The TRADOC Capability Manager for Reconnaissance and Attack (TCM R/A) working under direction of the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate (CDID) is the commanding general (CG) TRADOC designated authority for centralized management of all requirements and capabilities for reconnaissance and attack helicopters, aviation weapon systems and the training helicopter fleet. TCM R/A is the user representative, providing subject matter expertise (SME) and playing a key role in capability development activities and solutions across all dimensions of doctrine, organization, training,...
Learn MoreAviation Mission Equipment
SPECIAL FOCUS AVIATION SUPPORT —By LTC M. Scott Everton All Army aircraft require communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) equipment in order to effectively and safely operate in both civil and military airspace. The Product Manager for Aviation Mission Equipment (PM AME) is responsible for providing the common CNS equipment to meet the full range of Army Aviation requirements from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) mandates required to fly in commercial airspace to tactical secure CNS capabilities that enables Army Aviation to be effective in combat operations. PM AME is also responsible for providing the current situational awareness (SA) system...
Learn MoreThe Aviation Systems Project Management Office
SPECIAL FOCUS AVIATION SUPPORT —By COL Gerald R. Davis Jr. The dedicated team of over 400 Soldiers, Department of the Army Civilians, and support contractors in the Aviation Systems Project Management Office (AS PMO) are responsible for life-cycle management of both software and hardware that touches every aircraft in the Army Portfolio. With four product offices responsible for over 50 product lines and $750M annually, the Aviation Systems PMO is critical to Army Aviation operations. We remain committed to our mission of developing and integrating a wide spectrum of world class aviation products and services to meet Soldiers needs, generating common aircraft solutions, and...
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