Aviation Transformation: How Far Have We Come? By BG E.J. Sinclair

We are transforming our Army while executing a global war on terrorism, providing for the peace on the Korean peninsula and changing the training base to better prepare our Aviation Soldiers for the rigors of war. This issue of Army Aviation magazine is dedicated to discussing Army Aviation Transformation. There are three articles, written by subject matter experts in their specific areas of concern, covering the transformation of our training and doctrine, organizations, and logistics. As always, it is the Soldier that makes this great Army of ours successful. Doctrine, organization, training and materiel only facilitate our Soldiers in accomplishing their mission.

The CSA’s Task Force
Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (CSA) GEN Peter J. Schoomaker clearly specified his intent for the transformation of Army Aviation earlier this year. He stated Army Aviation will become a modular, capabilities-based maneuver arm, optimized for the Joint fight, with a shortened logistics tail. The essential tasks to accomplish this include:

- Reviewing and adjusting Army Aviation Modernization and Transformation plans for Jointness, feasibility and affordability.
- Evaluate special operations force capabilities for integration into the conventional force.
- Establish modularity within the Aviation force.
- Structure the Aviation Active Component (AC) and Reserve Component (RC) organizations (units & capabilities) to execute the Defense Planning Guidance roles and missions.
- Align the force based on the task and purpose of the formation.
- Structure RC Aviation to be more responsive to swiftly defeat the enemy’s efforts and win decisively.
- Synchronize the structure to flow towards the future force.
- Review the systems in the development for relevancy to the future force.
- Determine the strategy for accelerating or divesting current initiatives.
- Joint interoperability and connectivity is foundational to our efforts.

In summary, the CSA succinctly stated on November 5, 2003, “Army Aviation has more potential than any other branch – we just have not maximized its potential. My commitment to you is we are going to make Army Aviation the best damn outfit on the battlefield. We owe it to our Soldiers, our Army and the Nation.”

Process and Accomplishments

In order to accomplish the CSA’s directives, Task Force Aviation was stood up on September 19, 2003 at Fort Monroe, Va. After working diligently for nearly two months, the Task Force made numerous recommendations to the CSA on November 7, 2003, many of which he approved for implementation. One key initiative GEN Schoomaker approved in January 2004 was the Modular Aviation force structure, which consists of 11 AC Multifunctional Aviation Brigades (MFABs), 2 RC MFABs and 6 RC Aviation Exploitation Brigades which focus on the National Military Strategy and Homeland security and defense.

 The CSA approved moving the TF Aviation's effort to the Department of the Army Staff. Today the Aviation Task Force consists of 41 professionals from across the Combined Arms community. The ATF will coordinate actions within the Pentagon, while the Aviation Warfighting Center continues with concept and requirement development, and the Program Executive Officer-Aviation provides the user with materiel solutions.

In February 2004, the CSA with Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced the cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche program. The funds from this program were reinvested to address Task Force Aviation recommendations, including the three new programs - the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and the Future Cargo Aircraft (FCA) - were initiated to address shortfalls in aviation capabilities.

Five Implementation Conferences have been held since December 2003 with representatives from all major commands. These conferences (with more planned for the near future) have addressed issues that support the Aviation Transformation progress, as well as develop the long term Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel and Facilities (DOTML-PF) strategies for fixed wing, unmanned aerial vehicle systems and air traffic services. The previous conferences have aided in the development of the Army Campaign Plan’s Annex D – Aviation Transformation, focused on developing concepts for fielding the new force structure, modernizing the Army National Guard fleet, and developing a comprehensive long term Training Aides, Devices, Simulators and Simulations (TADSS) plan. Another force multiplier the conferences have produced is that aeromedical evacuation (MEDEVAC) becomes organic to the General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB) and aligns air ambulance companies with the MFAB. This paradigm shift supports the synergism of theater airspace command (A2C2), reduces the combat support logistics tail, and enables collective training of the Unit of Employment, while still providing dedicated theater air ambulance support.

Our Directorate of Training and Doctrine (DOTD) here held a conference this year which identified and validated lessons learned from Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF). These insights will serve as the catalyst for future Army Aviation transformation doctrine and training.

Aviation Transformation Updates

The following articles describe Aviation Transformation in more detail. COL Michael Dixon’s article The Transformation of Aviation Training and Doctrine discusses improvements in the professional military education system, Army Aviation Warfighting center proponency over unmanned aerial vehicles, integration of OEF and OIF lessons learned, and the development of new Field Manuals and Mission Training Plans, and the revision of existing manuals.

LTC Robert Sanders’ article Organizational Transformation: Modular, Scalable and Tailorable Aviation Force Structures discusses organizational issues in the new Aviation Brigade, known as the MFAB, down to the company level along with the Aviation Service Company.

 
LTC Kimberly Enderle’s article Aviation Logistics Transformation: Sustaining the Multifunctional Aviation Brigade & Shortening the Logistics Tail gives an update on the modular aviation maintenance structure, and describes the two levels of Aviation maintenance (field and sustainment based maintenance).

Finally, BG Jeff Schloesser, director of the Army Aviation Task Force, provides an overarching outline of the mission, focus and future of the Aviation Task Force and this organizations significant contribution to our Aviation Warfighters in his article Task Force Aviation – Accelerating Army Aviation Force Transformation.
 

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BG E. J. Sinclair is the commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center and chief of the aviation branch.