Subscribe
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – “When we first arrived here, there were four combat aviation brigades in Iraq, and now we have gone down to one,” said the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Commander Col. Frank Muth, “The numbers of total aircraft in theater have gone down significantly, but for a CAB, we are double the size of the normal CAB.”
The 1st CAB, based out of Fort Riley, Kan., is an “enhanced” CAB. It is made up of six battalions. In addition to the four battalions organic to the 1st CAB, there are two additional units -- the 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, and the 2nd Battalion, 285th General Support Aviation Regiment -- both are part of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, out of Ansbach, Germany.
The “enhanced” CAB has been operating in U.S. Division – North, Contingency Operating Base Speicher, since April. The soldiers replaced 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, based out of Hawaii. The 1st CAB has four primary missions, none of which will cease once the forces in Iraq transition to Operation New Dawn, Sept. 1.
“Our first mission is freedom of maneuver for soldiers, which means being able to move soldiers with our lift assets, so they don’t have to drive,” said Col. Muth.
The second is disrupting counter indirect fire by using reconnaissance and security assets, Col. Muth added. The third is route clearance, where the brigade provides clearance capabilities with its reconnaissance aircraft to identify any threats along the road, and the fourth mission is to provide convoy security for those Soldiers on the ground, Col. Muth concluded.
The 1st CAB has units throughout Iraq and spans its support throughout the entire country, not just USD-N, which makes this mission one that will go down in history.
“We are doing a mission that’s never been done before,” said Muth. “This is historic to have both the size of an aviation brigade and the scope of responsibility be doubled, covering the whole country of Iraq, three divisions, United States Forces-Iraq headquarters and the Embassy. It hasn’t been written in the books or a doctrine on how to command and control the size of an entire country with one brigade headquarters.”
“We wouldn’t be an enhanced CAB without 12th CAB’s support,” said Capt. Seth Gulsby, the brigade plans officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st CAB, 1st ID. “It’s a team effort all across theater. Those battalions plus-up our formation.”
To some CAB soldiers, this deployment will mark a moment in history where their duties played a critical role in defining the American footprint in Iraq.
“It’s good to be part of the [responsible drawdown of forces] n Iraq,” said Chief Warrant Officer Aaron Hutchins, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with Company C, 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st CAB, and Tulsa, Okla., native. “You feel like you’re doing something useful and giving the ability for Soldiers to go home and see their Families, so it’s a good feeling to be part of that.”
Most would agree that the footprints made by the shoes that were filled by the CAB will leave a lasting impact and a conclusion to the mission as the country transitions to stability operations.
“We really focus on the soldiers and powering down,” said Muth. “The only way we could make something like this work is to provide guidance to the soldiers and allow them the latitude and the freedom to make decisions on their own.
“You have to empower the soldiers and have them make decisions on the spot and to ensure that standards and discipline are not sacrificed for the mission but to make sure that they are reinforced,” he added. “Our legacy is taking something that has never been done before and making it work.”
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.20.2010 09:57 |
| Story ID: | 54907 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 424 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, ‘Enhanced’ combat aviation brigade makes history in USD-N, by SGT Cassandra Monroe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
