The Army's Aviation Restructuring Initiative (ARI)

The Soldiers of Alpha Battery, 80th AAA Battalion adapted to their constant environment and altered their specialty. Once they arrived in Ardennes, the unit’s mission changed from Anti-Aircraft, to supporting ground units with 57mm anti-tank gun. These Soldiers were Anti-Aircraft by trade, but adapted their skills to make an impact where they were the most needed. Modern day Air Defense Artillery adapts much in the same way. The ever changing world calls for new systems, different training, and a higher operational tempo. The Air Defense Artillery branch is always changing and adapting to modern military operations. The 21st of December proved how vital Anti-Aircraft Soldiers were to large combat operations. Their training allowed them to operate the 57mm anti-tank guns which turned out to be vital to stopping the German advance and eventually securing victory in Europe. In today’s military operations the Air Defense Artillery protects vital areas from aerial attack allowing Operation Commanders a location to land troops and supplies. Every battle and war is dependent on a supply route and without a secured supply route, no combat element can secure a victory. The 80th AAA Battalion proved how their adaptability and their support of large combat

Training objectives must support the mission profile and meet the commanders desired end state. Prior to the 56TH train up at the National Training Center (NTC) the deployment location changed from Iraq to Afghanistan (case study). Changes to mission essential tasks were not identified prior to NTC, resulting in the BCT training on collective tasks and validated during MRE based on the Iraq mission profile. However, the shift to the Afghanistan mission profile created gaps in training not identified until units arrived at Bagram Air Field (BAF). i.e. the BCT had to establish an MRAP drivers training program at BAF extending the RSOI process. Training gaps were not limited to company level shortfalls as battalion and brigade staffs were not able to anticipate potential threats and capitalize on opportunities. (case study 2)

In July of 2003, 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery was notified to prepare for a twelve month rotation to Afghanistan (Armstrong et al., 2003). The intent was to send two brigade combat teams to rotate after six months in Afghanistan. In typical “Need to Know” fashion, 1-62 ADA was notified that they will be sent to Iraq early August (Armstrong et al., 2003). This is the first time the entire division deployed since the Vietnam War. Battalion staff began planning for several operational deployments for two different theaters. 1-62 ADA Soldiers were engaged in the Global War on Terror, combating Taliban rebel fighters in Afghanistan, and battling insurgents in Iraq (Armstrong et al.,

The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), 82nd Airborne Division Fort Bragg, North Carolina (NC), received orders in early 2010 to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 11-12. Our brigade commander was a very maintenance-oriented, analytical forward thinking leader. He decided to implement task force organization for the brigade very early. He based the decision on troops and companies within the brigade fully integrating different aircraft, pilots, maintainers, and support personnel into new organizations. Aviation, in general, remains filled with many different low-density Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs). Certain MOSs work on different aircraft and others work on one type of aircraft specifically. Soldiers, Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), and Officers would need to fully integrate and understand the unit’s mission and various functions. A Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (1-17), with myself as the First Sergeant (1SG), moved hangars and integrated with 1st Battalion, 82nd Attack Helicopter Battalion (AHB), and then again into Task Force (TF) Wolfpack. There were several reasons why A Troop, TF Wolfpack1-82, and 82nd CAB were one of the most successful Brigades during all OEF

The United States Air Force has been able to carry on a great tradition of air supremacy and advanced technology. They were born in September 1947, when they separated from the Army Air Core, and became their own unit (www.peterson.af.mil). Providing for the troops that serve always has been a top priority of the Air Force. The Air Force is run in management form, just like any large organization, or small business. It has a rank structure, where tasks are delegated down from the ranking Officers through the Enlisted Core. After significant evaluation, I have researched and identified the following six categories necessary for the Air Force to preserve

We will be exploring and providing insight into the structure of the 82nd Airborne Division. The time frame that we will be analyzing for will be 1940-1945. The reason that I chose this time frame was because it heavily influenced the structure, tactics and methods of employment of an experimental fighting formation in the United States Army. We will explore the organization using Bolman and Deal?s (1997) four frames as a guiding conceptual

In conclusion the 12th CAB has been a unique and impressive force in the United States Army arsenal and has always been above the call in every mission. From its introduction back in 1956, to over 10 operations they have participated in to include the four meritorious award and two crosses for outstanding achievement in Vietnam, Asia, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army will continue to shift, downsize and restructure throughout the coming years but the lineage that is the 12th CAB will continue to reign strong in Europe, Middle East and the United States of America.

This paper identifies that the benefits of RAF far outweighs its shortfalls causing a paradigm shift in the mind set of army high command towards regional alignment.

During the overall restructuring of the United States Army current active Army units began to transform into modular organizations to enhance the capability to perform its mission by making them a quickly deployable, flexible and lethal unit than had been previously structured. Therefore, Combat Aviation Brigades were developed and are multi-functional, allowing for a combination of attack helicopters, reconnaissance helicopters, medium lift helicopters, heavy lift helicopters, and medical evacuation capabilities. It was decided that aviation units will not be a portion of a larger unit such as combat brigades and will continue to reside at the division level due to resource constraints. The various helicopters that are to be

The Department of the Army XXXXXXX, in coordination with XXXXXX and XXXXXX, ordered the restructure of the XXXX Aviation Brigade and augmentation of aviation capabilities with the first Rotational Aviation Forces (RAF) concept in the US Army. The mission of the RAF is to support the XXXXXXX alliance in XXXXX and XXXXX.

The habitually undercelebrated aviation arm of the Marine Air-Ground team edges towards collapse while top leaders panic with confusion, unable to recognize the problem. Whatsmore, while the already dire readiness issues continue to plague multiple aircraft and undoubtedly played pivotal if not central roles in recent and abundant non-combat deaths of Marine aviators, an impending manpower crisis looms. The manning piece of the challenge, not the readiness issue, has the potential and likelihood to irrevocably mutilate Marine aviation.

The 56th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is considered among the best maneuver brigades in the Forces Command three years ago. I know this because I was a member of the 56th ABCT then. During this period, our leaders want to lead and our soldiers were highly motivated. In addition, the morale across the brigade was high with strong supportive family atmosphere. Today, this is no longer true. My review of multiple assessments, surveys, and reports regarding our brigade couple with my interaction of leaders across the brigade confirmed that our brigade has changed in the wrong direction. The environment for our brigade is toxic. My vision is to return the 56th ABCT to its glory days when it was considered among the finest maneuver

“You haven’t seen a tree until you have seen its shadow from the sky.” Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly a solo nonstop trans-Atlantic aircraft, spoke these words about the joys of flight in 1932. She and others, such as Orville and Wilbur Wright, Charles H. Lindbergh, and Frank Whittle, recognized early on how aviation would change our view of the world. Since these early discoveries of aviation, society has relied on flight as a primary means for safe transportation. This feeling of security was challenged on September 11, 2001, when nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners and aimed the planes at targets in the United States. These terrorists’ attacks, referred to as 9/11, created the need for improved airport and airline security and reformed the United States Government’s entire security strategy and infrastructure.

This Personal Experience Paper (PEP) describes operations prior to and during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 11-12. It chronicles A Troop, 1-82 Attack Helicopter Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, and 82nd Airborne Division. The PEP specifically addresses non-standard aviation maintenance Soldiers assigned in a flight troop. Early realignment of an aviation brigade led to a very successful OEF rotation, a high readiness rate for OH-58D helicopters, and numerous combat hours flown. The paper further addresses the following: the critical first 100 days of an OEF rotation, troop internal 24-hour maintenance program, no task force aviator support, the brigade mandated 120-hour flying hour limit, and the importance of voice communication

In March 2012, United States Army Chief of Staff announced an initiative to align brigades with each of the six global combatant commands (GCCs). Those units assigned or allocated to GCCs are Regionally Aligned Forces (RAFs). RAFs provide tailored, trained and consistently available Army forces, responsive to all requirements, including operational missions, bilateral and multilateral military exercises and theater security cooperation activities. In theory, the RAFs concept provides a scalable, tailorable capability to meet combatant commanders’ steady-state and phase zero shaping requirements. Additionally, the RAFs concept improves the Army’s ability to provide culturally and regionally aware forces for specific missions.