Synchronization and Synergy for the Aviation Soldier By BG E.J. Sinclair

Aviation Senior Leader’s Synchronization Conference group photo.
ARMY PHOTO BY MICHAEL MOSELEY

Aviation Senior Leader’s Synchronization Conference 2005

             The annual Aviation Senior Leader’s Synchronization Conference was held at the U.S. Army Aviation Center (USAAVC) at Fort Rucker from January 24 to 27. The four-day effort was an effective tool to share dynamic and critical information while also synchronizing efforts throughout the branch. This dialog allowed the Aviation branch’s senior leadership (officers, warrant officers and senior non-commissioned officers) and key Aviation Soldiers throughout the Army to share ideas, concepts, policies, concerns and rapidly changing information. It is essential that a continuous dialog be maintained as the branch fights the global war on terrorism (GWOT), RESETs and PRESETs formations, and transforms. The top priority is to ensure our Aviation Soldiers have the best possible training and equipment to fight the GWOT. It was obvious throughout the conference that everyone shares this theme.

            The first day of the conference a Branch Command Sergeant Major change of responsibility ceremony was conducted as we fare-welled CSM Walt Beckman and welcomed CSM Buford Thomas Jr. Within less than twenty-four hours of the ceremony, CSM Thomas was actively engaged in the dialog with senior Aviation leaders. The conference provided a unique opportunity for his welcome and integration.

            GEN Richard Cody, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, shared his insights and answered questions concerning Army operations and aviation transformation. He highlighted that there are currently 310,000 Soldiers deployed and with as high as 350,000 outside the continental United States. He also stressed that the complexity of our environment demands that we remain committed to resource an Army engaged and on the move. “We have a moral obligation not to send a Soldier to combat unless he’s fully trained and fully equipped,” GEN Cody said. Leveraging knowledge from the GWOT is critical. Every day we’re learning lessons and pumping them back into the combat training centers. We’re creating a modular Army that is brigade-centric, not division-centric. Additionally, we are making great strides in our effort to make the Active component and Reserve component look alike. It’s the most ambitious restructure in 50 years. We’re stabilizing the force and have four brigades already complete. Soldiers will be assigned to a unit or a base for longer tours and synchronized with Modularity where possible. In addressing Aviation safety and readiness, GEN Cody stressed the need to strike a balance. He highlighted that “Policy letters won’t fix it. Engaged leadership fixes problems. The tougher you fly, the more disciplined you have to be.”

             MG Jim Pillsbury, the commander of the Army’s Aviation and Missile Command, discussed Aviation RESET and PRESET. He described that turnaround times on RESET are accelerated thanks to cooperation from industry and great efforts by Aviation classification and repair depots. Creation of the Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance formation and the Life Cycle Management Initiative have proven very successful in getting products to the Soldier faster.  

            There was an informative update and productive discussion of Army National Guard (ARNG) readiness and the effects of the current operational tempo. The ARNG is reacting energetically to the mobilization process. This outdated process needs updating from the Cold War model by moving to a Train-Alert-Deploy model. As formations prepare for deployment and have shortages, “commanders can’t stop till you get to the person who has the authority to say yes.”

            COL Dan Stewart, director of the Aviation Proponency office, updated everyone on several key developments. The revised DA PAM 600-3 will be published in three months. This major revision, the first in seven years, changes the officer life cycle development model and includes warrant officers. The focus is a shift from the concept of “branch qualification” or specific career paths for officers. This concept tended to focus officers on a narrow channel of development. “Depth of experience and breadth of responsibility are metrics that reflect an officer’s potential to serve in positions of increased responsibility,” COL Stewart said. The focus will now be on experience versus grade in position. In other words, regardless of grade, seek critical experience and competency that will build the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities in each developmental position held.

            LTC Joe Dunaway, chief of the Aviation Assignments branch at the Human Resources Command, discussed the dynamic changes that guide Soldier assignment decisions. He noted the priority is to synchronize personnel with timelines for GWOT requirements with no criteria or limits concerning time-on-station. We are aggressively meeting the demands of the GWOT, transforming the branch, and executing RESET simultaneously. Permanent change of station guidelines are now based on skills, experiences and Army requirements. We must remember turbulence is a way of life, but rest assured every effort is made to reduce it.

            CSM Roger Kingston, the commandant of the Non-commissioned Officer Academy at Fort Rucker, outlined the way ahead for the NCO Education System (NCOES). We are revising NCOES for the first time since Vietnam. The focus is to instill warrior ethos and sustain the quality of the force. The total revision of the Primary Leadership Development Course to become the Warrior Leader Course is being implemented immediately. Fourteen of the twenty-one day course will be in the field and will include extensive weapon familiarization.

            COL Conway Ellers, deputy commandant of the U.S. Army Aviation Logistics School (USAALS) at Fort Eustis, Va., outlined the dynamic changes to advanced individual training for all thirteen military occupational specialties at the USAALS. Lessons learned from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom have led to a re-emphasis on tactical training. Training is now in three phases: classroom with practical exercises, situational training exercises, and field training exercises (lasting five to seven days).

            COL Chuck Yomant, director of the Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization at Fort Rucker, stressed the change in focus from a “black hat” mentality to a true training and assistance organization. DES is a USAAVNC-based mobile training team with the primary focus of assisting commanders deploying to OIF or OEF, and preparing for RESET. They offer a comprehensive training menu, while commanders decide “how” and “what” to train.

            COL Mike Dixon, director of the Directorate of Training and Doctrine, discussed the implementation of the brigade aviation element (BAE). This critical organization will assist the Brigade Combat Team integrate Aviation within the full spectrum of our capabilities. The 3rd Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Div. (Air Assault) are the first to execute, with the 10th Mountain Div. immediately following. Look for the new TC 1-400 BAE Handbook on the Army Knowledge Online website at the BAE Collaboration Center and review the wealth of information.

            There were numerous other critical updates and discussions, including the Training and Doctrine Command System Managers, logistics transformation, air traffic services, Flight School XXI, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), tactical terrain visualization systems, simulations, SERE (survival, evasion, resistance and escape), Medical Evacuation Proponency, gunnery, and the full range of leadership and training initiatives. Each of these areas of interest provided a critical opportunity for extensive dialog and collaboration.

            The LTG Ellis D. Parker Awards luncheon Jan. 26 recognized aviation excellence, leadership, training, maintenance and safety during the past year. The 1st Battalion, 227th Avn. Regt. from Fort Hood, Texas was the overall winner and Combat Aviation Unit of the Year. The 2nd Bn., 227th Avn. Regt., also from Fort Hood, won the Combat Support Unit of the Year award. The 421st Medical Evacuation Bn. from Wiesbaden, Germany won the best Combat Service Support unit and the 1st Bn., 145th Avn. Regt. from Fort Rucker, won the best Table of Distribution and Allowances battalion. Later that evening at the annual AAAA National Functional Awards banquet, 11 “best of the best” were recognized for the period between Sept. 1, 2003 and Aug. 31, 2004. All of the awardees depict the ‘warrior ethos’ in everything that they do, and the branch is extremely proud of every one of them.

            The annual Aviation Senior Leader’s Synchronization Conference allowed Aviation Branch’s senior leadership and key Aviation Soldiers throughout the Army to share ideas, concepts, policies, concerns and rapidly changing information. Always remembering that our first priority is to provide the best training and equipment possible for our Aviation Soldiers, this conference proved invaluable as our branch pursues that objective.

 Dragons in Iraq:

4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division

             The 4th Brigade, 1st Inf. Div., commanded by COL Wally Golden, arrived in the Iraqi theater of operations in early February 2004 in the wake of the capture of Saddam Hussein during a period of relative calm. The Iraqi people were holding their collective breath to see if real change was possible, the former regime elements were in disarray, and the foreign terrorist cells were still immature and not fully organized. Over the course of 2004, these conditions would change, presenting significant challenges for the brigade.

            The 1st Inf. Div. and the 4th Bde. were responsible for one of the most complex areas in Iraq. The dangerous area of operation (AO) encompasses four provinces including parts of the Sunni Triangle, Kurdistan, and the Shi’a dominated Diyala province. These provinces comprise roughly 22 percent of Iraq’s total land space and nearly 20 percent of the population. The Kirkuk province, which contains half of the country’s oil reserves, created an infrastructure security nightmare that only made the situation more difficult.

             In this environment the 4th Bde. employed tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) that allowed the Big Red One to accomplish its mission of conducting simultaneous full spectrum operations to neutralize the anti-Iraqi forces (AIF) while setting the conditions for national elections.

             The 4th Bde. used the nucleus of the TTPs passed down from the 4th Bde. of the 4th Inf. Div. The 4th ID’s successes during their time in Iraq, and their experience in the AO served as a valuable starting point for the 1st ID to conduct combat aviation operations in OIF. 4th Bde., 1st ID also hosted the Army Shootdown Assessment Team in Germany prior to deployment – helping to understand the threat in the area. Based on this information, the brigade determined the greatest threat to Army Aviation was from surface-to-air missiles followed by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Within the first few months, enemy actions determined the direction TTP refinement would take.

            Enemy strengths include decentralization and the rapid dissemination of information and successful TTPs through loosely affiliated groups throughout the AO. Addi-tional strengths include extensive knowledge of the terrain and experience in dealing with the local populace, as well as the intricacies of tribal politics. The common theme in enemy TTPs is to change to fit the situation on the ground. The AIF change their TTPs based on weapon systems available to them and the targets with which they are presented. The AIF are a force-oriented enemy that seeks to create contact at the time and place of their choosing. For instance, AIF will target fixed-wing cargo aircraft along noted flight paths during periods of high illumination.

            The answer to this AIF threat was to conduct a flight profile based on terrain, weather and current enemy situation. The AIF would have a limited chance to acquire 4th Bde. aircraft as long as they remained in this profile, and the accidental risk of wires was mitigated by deliberate mission planning and frequent hazards map updates. At night, the hard deck [flight altitude] was raised as the accident risk became a greater concern than the AIF’s ability to acquire aircraft. Brigade UH-60 aircraft deliberately avoid linear terrain features that present greater exposure time, and crossed wires in a combat spread that doesn’t expose the trail aircraft.

            Flight following in theater is still in its infancy and the asymmetric battlefield severely restricts the responsiveness of a ground quick reaction force if an aircraft goes down in an isolated area. In order to provide quick reaction, the brigade’s aircraft always fly with at least two aircraft — both for security and immediate downed aircrew recovery. Aviators flight-follow internally and are given the flexibility to provide over-watch for each other in tactical situations. This is a natural configuration for attack missions, but has provided greater security and utility for Black Hawk crews as well. Every platform is a recon asset (active or passive), and the brigade experienced great success with the second aircraft providing security while the first was investigating a suspected cache or IED.

             On the attack side, security missions dictate flight along the same linear terrain features as oil pipelines, power lines, and main supply routes. The two-aircraft requirement naturally lends itself to a high-bird, low-bird formation that allows greater visibility of small objects like IEDs, but preserves the lethality and flexibility of the platform by keeping the high bird oriented on the enemy. When close combat attack was required for troops in contact, the brigade provided unparalleled responsiveness. They preserved their combat power by limiting flights over dense urban areas during the day, and by pushing targeting and designation techniques to every supported Soldier on the ground. Close combat attack became more efficient once ground commanders integrated these TTPs and their Soldiers witnessed the effects. The brigade also provided the ground commander another incredible tool with the first integration of HELLFIRE targeting and designation from an Air Force Predator unmanned aerial vehicle.

            The way the 4th Brigade flies and the reasons they do so are unique to the particular area of responsibility, but can provide valuable lessons in many other scenarios or threat environments. Thus far in their deployment they have successfully maintained contact with the enemy and provided reliable combat aviation support to the 1st Inf. Div. without a single Class A accident or serious injury. This success can be directly attributed to the skill of their pilots, the consistent adherence to high standards, and great command presence at all levels. Or as stated in the 1st Inf. Div. motto, “No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great - Duty First!”

ABOVE  THE BEST!!! 

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