Current Issue Articles
Expeditionary 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...
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