Current Issue Articles
A Future for Army SOF Fixed Wing
Opinion / By MAJ Nathaniel L. Swann: Under the Army Operational Concept (AOC), the Army is tasked, with the rest of the Joint Force, to “Win in a Complex World.” For the Army to “Win,” we are required to provide “multiple options, integrate the efforts of multiple partners, operate across multiple domains, and present our enemies and adversaries with multiple dilemmas.” Currently there is a potentially underutilized element of Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) that is missing out on a revolutionary opportunity to meet all of these requirements to help the Joint Force win…the C-27Js of the United States Army...
Learn MoreAir Mission Commanders
From the Field / By CPT James R. Antonides:Throughout my career, I have seen a distinct shift in the roles and responsibilities of who leads our missions and serves as air mission commanders. Have we replaced the value of doctrine and operational knowledge with tactical and technical experience? Have commanders abdicated responsibility for operational employment of their formations, and can they get it back? Should we revisit the roles we expect our platoon leaders, company commanders, and AMCs to fulfill in order to win the next fight? LTC Kelsey A. Smith, Senior Aviation Trainer, National Training Center Leadership from TF...
Learn MoreEvacuating, Treating, and Saving Lives on the Battlefield
MEDEVAC Proponency / By Mr. George W. Hildebrandt: The Army’s ability to provide pre-hospital critical care and trauma treatment on battlefield aeromedical evacuation platforms has evolved dramatically since 2012. In 2011, the Defense Health Board (now called the Defense Health Agency) published a memorandum documenting that U.S. Army flight medics lacked the appropriate skill level and training to properly treat trauma casualties evacuated off the battlefield. Prior to 2012, flight medics were Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basic certified; since that time, the Army developed the Critical Care Flight Paramedic (CCFP) Program in response to emerging data from combat operations. That data...
Learn MoreMaintenance Competence and Empowerment
Special Operations Aviation / By 1SG Dennis K. McCoy Jr.: It is four hours until sunrise; the ground force commander has his Soldiers massed outside the rotor disks of the Chinook heavy assault helicopters. The air is filled with the kerosene, the smell of powerful turbine engines turning fuel into torque. A lower anti-collision light comes on signaling there is a maintenance issue with one of the helicopters. The ground force commander’s stomach tightens and through clenched teeth asks his senior noncommissioned officer (NCO), “What now?” The maintenance launch team springs into action, led by a well-seasoned maintenance test pilot...
Learn MoreScouting and Retaining Night Stalkers
Special Operations Aviation / By MAJ Jason J. Dumser and CW4 Benjamin S. Arps: The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR (A)) has the unique challenge to recruit, assess, select, train, and employ a lethal and agile aviation organization within U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in support of Joint Special Operations Forces (JSOF). To best identify the right personnel who will succeed, the Regiment underwent a comprehensive review of its recruiting and assessment procedures. Similar to college or professional sports programs, the goal of the Regiment is to identify or “scout” those personnel with the requisite attributes for success...
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