Photo By Christopher Freeman | A paratrooper from 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – While responsible for the aviation support for the Global Response Force, Soldiers of the 2nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, employed all of its battalion’s assault helicopter companies for the first time in over a decade.
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, air assaulted to conduct a Joint Forcible Entry during a training event on Camp Lejeune, N.C. Jan. 21-22. UH-60 Black Hawks from the CAB transported the Soldiers while AH-64 Apaches provided aerial attack aviation.
“This training mission with Black Hawks and attack aviation from AH-64 Apaches was a great opportunity to validate our hasty air assault planning process,” said Lt. Col. Travis McIntosh, commander, 2nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. “We are a maneuver element in a light infantry division and remain ready to fight with a keen eye for air assault operations within the 82nd Abn. Div. in support of the GRF.”
Combined arms integration allows units to conduct tough and realistic training for a variety of contingency missions, to include airfield seizures.
“The objective was to conduct an air assault using rotary aircraft to seize an airfield and capture a high value target,” said Capt. Brett Reichert, commander, Bravo Company, 2-325 AIR, 2BCT.
Conducting the operation outside of Fort Bragg not only tested the aviation’s ability to train nearer to the limits of their helicopter, but also offered the opportunity to fly to unfamiliar training area away from their home station.
“[Camp Lejeune] serves as an ideal location to test the limits of our fuel capabilities,” said McIntosh. “There was an added benefit of working with Marine Forces at Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and Cherry Point.”
The 82nd CAB utilized this training exercise in order to train its future aviators from those who have flown in the complex wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 14 years.
“We had a large number of first-term aviators which required extensive individual training plans by our standardization team before we could even tackle collective training like these larger air assaults,” said McIntosh. “In seven months, we have trained 52 new aviators and reset our entire fleet of Black Hawk helicopters.”
The collective training of the air and ground units contributes to the 82nd Abn. Div. as the Joint Forcible Entry component of the GRF.
“The 82nd Abn. Div. is one of the only divisional units that can rapidly deploy, seize, and retain the initiative by conducting both airborne and air assault missions,” said McIntosh. “We proved with this mission that our formation could fight light and dominate with its helicopters. Our 17 UH-60 Black Hawks carried around 160 Soldiers over 100 miles in one lift.”
The support that the CAB provided did not go unappreciated by the ground forces assaulting the objective.
“This is an asset we love to employ and sustains our readiness,” said Reichert. “The integration of aviation and ground forces training collectively provides a lethal capability.”
Since the AHB’s return from Afghanistan last spring, they have conducted three battalion air assaults in training, with each adding more helicopters and complexity.
“This particular week validated the battalion’s ability to launch and fight alongside its very own 82nd Abn. Div. Soldiers,” said McIntosh. “Being home and aligned with our own division again is long overdue. It is critical that we remain habitually aligned both in training and while at war.”
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 01.28.2016 09:43 |
| Story ID: | 187237 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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