REDSTONE ARESENAL, Ala. – More than 200 Army aviation leaders from around the world gathered at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command on Redstone Arsenal to attend AMCOM 101 for Aviation, Aug. 20-22.
The professional forum gave Army General Officers, Combat Aviation Brigade Commanders, aviation maintenance and supply officers, senior Noncommissioned Officers and other personnel the opportunity to learn how AMCOM can help them remain combat-ready.
“AMCOM 101 for Aviation is designed to educate our aviation leaders about all of the resources AMCOM can provide them to assist them with increasing unit readiness,” said AMCOM Aviation Branch Maintenance Officer Chief Warrant Officer 5 Mike Cavaco. “One of the best things about the forum is how it brings aviation leaders together from across the enterprise to receive and share information with each other and collaborate on issues they may be experiencing.”
Presentations, panel discussions and program-focused, small-group breakout sessions covered aviation-related readiness, reform, and modernization issues. AMCOM program managers held individual breakout sessions on Attack, Utility and Cargo helicopter sustainment issues, unmanned aerial system readiness, combatting corrosion, and updates on mission systems architecture, aircraft notebook, aviation ground support equipment, and Global Combat Support System-Army. Program experts and senior leaders led the discussions and answered questions from attendees.
“I really liked the break-out sessions – you could really dig into the individual topics and have productive discussions with program managers and their key staff,” said Maj. Azizi Wesmiller, Executive Officer for the 25th Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii.
“I’m fairly new in my position, so I came here to learn,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Ragland, production control officer, for the 2nd Battalion (General Support), 227th Aviation Regiment, at Fort Hood, Texas. “[AMCOM 101] delivered a lot of valuable information and program-resource contacts that I can take back to share with others in my battalion.”
“Our promise is to deliver readiness to you, so you can fight and win our nation’s wars,” William Marriott, AMCOM Deputy to the Commanding General, told attendees during his closing remarks. “If you take away nothing else from [AMCOM 101], it’s that we are here to help you.
AMCOM has hosted 101 for Aviation annually since 2014. Each year, following the forum, the AMCOM leadership solicits feedback from the participants. This year, valuable input was gained from attendees which will be used to make improvements in delivering Aviation readiness at the point of need.
AMCOM plans to host another 101 for Aviation early in 2020 so that aviation leaders who are currently deployed can participate. The AMCOM 101 for Missiles is slated for early November.