The Return of Rough Terrain Airborne Operations

Photo By Sgt. Jacob Banuelos | Paratroopers from 57th Sapper Company (Airborne) drift towards trees on Fort Bragg, NC during a Rough Terrain Airborne Operation. Photograph taken by Ashley Lupfer.  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

01.30.2020

Courtesy Story

20th Engineer Brigade

Chalks of discouraged Paratroopers dispersed from the 27th Engineer Battalion basketball courts on Fort Bragg, North Carolina after hearing the final weather decision on another overcast morning in November; the rough terrain airborne operation that the 57th Sapper Company (Airborne) had been waiting for over the last six years was canceled yet again. This marked the operation’s fourth cancelation during a three-month span and it was beginning to seem as if fate was working against the Company. Luckily, all key players learned from the previous occurrences and had planned an immediate “weather slip” option for the very next day: Wednesday November 20th.

The 57th Sapper Company, “ROUGH TERRAIN,” has historically maintained the capability to insert personnel and equipment via air drop into austere environments devoid of clearly established drop zones. The capability was adopted from Western United States smoke jumpers and its military application dates back to the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion “TRIPLE NICKLES” who employed the mission set during World War II. Although the applicability of rough terrain airborne operations in today’s operating environments has been debated in the recent past, three facts remain clear: higher echelons within the US Army support training on them, the capability provides a broad range of applications to commanders, and the 57th Sapper Company (Airborne) remains the Army’s proponent for this skillset.

Senior leadership support the 57th Sapper Company’s efforts to maintain the rough terrain capability set and underwrites increased levels of risk to allow the unit to train on them. One of the obstacles that previously prevented the Company from executing a true rough terrain airborne operation onto a tree drop zone was obtaining endorsement and assumption of risk at higher levels of leadership. A routine airborne operation requires Battalion-level oversight and assumption of risk; however, a rough terrain airborne operation historically requires Corps-level approval. Gaining the confidence of the XVIII Airborne Corps’ staff and command team is essential to the Company’s ability to execute their operations, which the Company successfully did throughout 2019. This support communicates XVIII Airborne Corps’ desire to maintain rough terrain operations and their broad range of applications.

As previously noted, rough terrain operations date back to smoke jumpers supporting World War II fire operations and have primarily been applied to creating new drop zones and landing zones in densely vegetated areas during combat operations; however, the possibilities for application range much further than this. Special Operations Forces routinely contact the 57th Sapper Company for training opportunities and unit standing operating procedures in order to facilitate training on insertion of small strike forces into contested terrain. Rough terrain operations can also be utilized in peace time operations, such as responses to natural disasters. A prime example of their potential during peacetime operations could be an insertion of rough terrain Paratroopers into the mountainous forests of Puerto Rico in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane. This would facilitate the rapid reconnaissance and clearance of roads, bridges, and other key terrain while larger humanitarian support groups mobilized from outlying regions. Their insertion could greatly expedite the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ data collection while simultaneously providing the local populace with emergency, life-saving support. Although this is simply one example, the range of applications are truly bound only by the creativity of the senior leaders who request the support.

The 57th Sapper Company stands prepared and ready to answer this call for support, as they remain the Army’s proponent for the rough terrain skillset. The Company governs the standards reflected in Annex H (Rough Terrain Operations) of the Common Army Airborne Standing Operating Procedures, and is regularly contacted by units who desire to train on the techniques. The Company works with the United States Army Advanced Airborne School and assists Special Operations Force elements to train on rough terrain operations, as truly no one else executes them better! The 57th Sapper Company strives to conduct airborne operations into austere terrain quarterly and worked tirelessly to execute a jump into a tree drop zone during 2019.

The air was crisp and not a cloud could be seen in the dark moonlit sky when the 57th Sapper Company held its accountability formation at 6:30 AM on Wednesday November 20th. The atmosphere within the company operations facility was positive and there was an electric energy racing through its Paratroopers as they loaded their tactical vehicles for the hour long drive to Luzon Drop Zone. The three UH-60 Blackhawks from the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade arrived at the drop zone and began dropping Paratroopers onto the cleared land as part of their progression jumps in their specialized rough terrain suits.

Five lifts had successfully dropped prior to 4:00 PM when the Airborne Commander decided to transition to dropping the last lift into the tree drop zone with just under an hour of daylight remaining. 18 Rough Terrain Paratroopers donned their suits, MC-6 parachutes, and combat equipment and loaded into the Blackhawks for one last ride prior to their historic exit. The aircraft executed one dry pass without dropping any jumpers to confirm their flight route over the tree drop zone that had not been used in over six years. They circled back around and began their final approach as the Paratroopers conducted last minute checks and finally received the command “SIT IN THE DOOR!”

The last 30 seconds felt like 30 minutes to the eager jumpers as they waited for the Drop Zone Safety Team Leader to relay “EXECUTE, EXECUTE, EXECUTE!” to the pilots. Suddenly the Jumpmaster issued the command of “GO!” and 18 Rough Terrain Paratroopers filled the sky over two square kilometers of trees and descended into their thick web of branches. 16 of them successfully steered their parachutes to small clearings within the mass of trees, with only one of the remaining two becoming significantly hung up in the branches. The Rough Terrain Paratroopers rapidly recovered from the hang, de-rigged, recovered their equipment, and assembled. Leaders at all levels considered the operation a huge success, as no injuries were sustained and minimal damage to equipment was encountered; thus revalidating the concept that had been debated for years.

As with many capabilities within the Army’s vast range of occupations and specialties, we do not know exactly when we will be called upon for our unique skillset. However, we will continue to train on rough terrain airborne operations and modernize this capability for the Army until that call comes. For when it does, the Paratroopers of the 57th Sapper Company will be ready and will expertly accomplish their assigned mission! ROUGH TERRAIN!

Story by Captain Lupfer, Army Engineer Officer, 57th Sapper Company (Airborne) Commander, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

• Date Taken: 01.30.2020
• Date Posted: 01.30.2020 15:36
• Story ID: 361092
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US