FORT BLISS, Texas – The 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade and Division Sustainment Brigade conducted sling load and forward arming and refueling point operations during a combined-training exercise on Fort Bliss, Texas, April 29, 2026.
This training extends the division's operational reach and demonstrates to Soldiers participating in the exercise how their respective brigades must leverage their unique capabilities to work in concert with adjacent units to achieve the division’s end state.
Extending the operational reach of the division is crucial to dominating multi-domain and large-scale combat operations, achieved through the combined lethality and unmatched logistical support of the CAB and DSB. “1st Armored Division, Division Sustainment Brigade’s primary mission is to provide uninterrupted sustainment support to the 1st AD to extend operational reach and prolong endurance, enabling combat forces to close with and destroy adversaries,” said Col. Delarius Tarlton, commander of the 1st AD DSB. “Sustainment is critical to warfighting because ‘bullets don’t fly without supply’. 1st AD DSB provides a vast array of sustainment capabilities to the 1st AD to enable the division to accomplish its mission, to include transportation, distribution, field feeding, maintenance, advanced manufacturing, human resources support, movement control, ammunition support, deployment support and logistics synchronization.”
The 1st AD CAB has the AH-64E Apache Guardian, UH-60 Blackhawk and the CH-47 Chinook helicopters, which extend the reach of the division’s warfighting capabilities.
The FARP operations are key to extending the reach of our logistical support through air assets, said Sgt. Doug Rohelia, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to the 142nd Division Sustainment Support Battalion, DSB, 1st AD. The aircraft can’t support friendly ground units or deliver effective fires without fuel and ammunition.
FARP training enhances the aircraft’s ability to remain mission-capable in field environments, while sling load training allows supplies and combat power to bypass restrictive terrain by flying overhead.
“The significance of sling load operations is to be able to rapidly resupply a friendly unit in an area we cannot get to,” said Cpt. Samuel McMillan, the future operations officer in charge assigned to the 142nd DSSB, DSB, 1st AD.
This mission demonstrated the ability of the CAB to increase the range of key sustainment functions, allowing the DSB to resupply units in areas their ground transport vehicles cannot reach, said 1st Lt. John McGrory, a UH-60 pilot assigned to 127th Aviation Support Battalion, 1st AD CAB.
To complete this successful exercise, deliberate multi-echelon coordination occurred to synchronize mission command, Soldiers on ground and logistical resourcing.
The exercise also acted as the culminating event for the 142nd DSSB, DSB, 1st AD’s field exercise, giving the Muleskinners a valuable experience in conducting sustainment operations with aircraft support.
The combined training improves the division’s ability to operate at a high tempo, extend its operational reach and dominate large-scale combat operations.