Current Issue Articles
Corneal Refractive Surgery for Applicants
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ (Dr.) Eric Abdul: The popularity and success of corneal refractive surgery (such as LASIK, LASEK or PRK) has prompted questions from those applying for Aviation duty. Here is an introduction to the topic for initial applicants. Photo: Army.mil FS: Light enters the eye through the clear portion of its front known as the cornea. The cornea refracts, or bends, incoming light through the lens and directs it onto the retina at the back of the eye. Most of the refractive power of the eye resides in the spherical shape of the cornea, with...
Learn MoreAviation Support Facility (AASF) – The Center of Gravity
Reserve Components Aviation / By COL Joseph Bishop: In my previous article I focused on how the ARNG utilizes its Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Groups as one element within a holistic aviation sustainment maintenance architecture. The second element within that maintenance architecture and where the rubber meets the road are the 97 Aviation Support Facilities across the United States. The AASFs are the center of gravity for unit level aviation maintenance and the hub for aircrews that operate Army aircraft. Kankakee ARNG Aviation Support Facility ILARNG is the ARNG’s newest aviation support facility. The Kankakee ASF is home to 1-106...
Learn MoreLow Altitude Training
Combat Readiness Center / By COL Jason L. Miller: Army units are moving rapidly to fully implement the training required to prepare for large-scale combat operations (LSCO) against a peer or near-peer competitor. This training will focus on the tactics necessary to rapidly deploy, execute combined arms maneuver, and succeed in a complex, multi-domain environment. One of the primary challenges is training Soldiers who have been fighting counterinsurgency (COIN) for over a decade to refocus their efforts to fight against a threat which requires them to fly at terrain flight and nap-of-the-earth altitudes. As our branch chief put it, “We...
Learn MoreTraining to Fight in Large Scale Combat Operations
Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: It was 0320 hours and the lead troop of the squadron had just made it through their passage point across a low saddle with heavily wooded hilltops on either side. It added a couple of extra minutes to the route, but it avoided a built up area and more importantly this saddle gave them a gap they could exploit where the threat systems could not “see” them, either visually or with their advanced tech. Sure, their cutting-edge Aircraft Survivability Equipment could acquire and defeat almost anything on the battlefield…almost anything. But...
Learn MoreCareer Decisions
By CW5 Jonathan Kozio: Being a Soldier in the United States Army is a demanding profession. Long days training, weeks away from home, and deployments. Now, let’s add a family to the mix and the management of time gets far more difficult. The demand for aviation assets to support training and deployment rotations has not slowed, which strains our Soldiers and their families. U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 John Marsh and Capt. Nicholas Bruno, assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, taxi their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, on Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Oct. 23, 2019./ U.S....
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