When you talk about taking on the FID mission previously run by AFSOC, does this mean you’re actually going to pick up some of the foreign aircraft types (Mi-8/17 Hip helicopters and An-2 Colt light transport aircraft) they used to fly down at Hurlburt Field, Fla.? Or are you going to maintain an instructor capability for FID training and use resident aircraft in the host nations?

It was actually AFSOC’s 6th Special Operations Squadron’s [SOS] mission, and we didn’t pick up any of their aircraft directly into my formation. We essentially picked up the mission, which I believe was appropriate. Probably the vast majority of the experience of rotary SOF aviation operations within special operations resides within the 160th SOAR. But we didn’t really pick up any personnel or aircraft from AFSOC when we got the FID mission. We started out with a very modest five-man cell: a lieutenant colonel, three warrant officers, and one NCO [noncommissioned officer]. We are now in the process of growing that out to 30 personnel, and we will partner them with the 160th and provide, really, the subject matter expertise on mission planning, briefing, integration with the ground force, execution of missions and then after action reviews for them to improve their capability without getting into the mechanics of how they fly their airplanes.

I would tell you that the vast majority of the countries out there either fly UH-1s or Mi-17s. But trying to fly those types requires a significant investment for us to purchase and maintain those aircraft, then train aviators to be proficient enough to be credible with these other nations. So, right now, we’re focusing on the actions in the planning and briefing rooms to improve their capability. And quite frankly, what I’m looking for, or what we’re waiting to see, is where success takes us. I can tell you that the theater special operations commander [TSOC] feedback has been very positive. I had the SOCCENT [the CENTCOM TSOC] commander, Maj. Gen. [Michael] Nagata in here recently, and I would say that our AvFID [Aviation FID] support to the TSOCs has been wildly successful. They want more and more and more of what we are providing. So we’re going to see where this success leads us and try to make smart acquisitions in the future. Right now, in the current fiscal environment, it’s just not possible to take on those kinds of projects with those kinds of bills that come along with it.

 

So, you’re primarily focusing on the planning, tactics, and doctrine of how you do special operations aviation and not being aircraft type-specific.

Absolutely. We also focus in on how they execute the mission. And the other thing which is very important, which is often overlooked, is how they integrate with the ground force they are supporting. Do they have the appropriate command relationships with the ground force, and are they given a priority with certain units? Those kinds of things, which are also essential to their success.

 

What is the present state of the regiment in your mind? Do you see it being grown further or do you see additional functions being cherry picked and taken off of it so that the workload remains reasonable?

I don’t see any growth based on the fiscal constraints the Army is facing. And, quite frankly, is there a need for more Army Special Operations aviation? I think you could easily make that argument. There have been several studies that could justify really twice the growth or twice the size of the unit we have now. But, you know, it’s just not fiscally possible. I also don’t see us splitting our units into any kind of subsets.

But, what I am looking at is how can we maximize our support to our ARSOF forces, to enable Adm. [William H.] McRaven’s Global SOF Network? This is something which obviously the TSOCs are a key element in, as we draw down in Afghanistan. We’re looking at different deployment models that give the TSOCs some level of predictability on what they can expect from us, and operationally, how we can best support their theater engagement plans. I think that’s our focus right now: to give our aviation battalions a more regional focus.

For instance, the 4/160th is primarily focused in the Pacific Command [PACOM] AOR. We currently have 160th SOAR MH-47s supporting the Foal Eagle exercise in Korea. And the 3/160th out of Hunter Army Air Field near Savannah [Ga.] is focused primarily on SOUTHCOM [U.S. Southern Command]. They are down in the SOUTHCOM AOR at least four times a year supporting SOCSOUTH [Special Operations Command-South], Gen. Sean Mulholland’s forces. They also conduct support over in Europe. I will tell you that they came up with the moniker “the Southern Centurions,” and they take a lot of pride in their support to SOUTHCOM. I would also add that 2/160th does a large amount of support in the AFRICOM [U.S. Africa Command] AOR.

That is the way I think we can really support the Global SOF Network most effectively. And we’re still learning how to best do that, because we don’t know what we don’t know right now. We don’t know what our residual presence is going to be in Afghanistan, if any, post-December of 2014. So, until we figure that out and until we get answers to those questions, we can’t really develop long-range theater engagement plans.

 

How do you interpret the ARSOF 2022 document influencing ARSOAC, and what are the major milestones and goals that you and your replacement, Brig. Gen. Erik C. Peterson, will be working toward under ARSOF 2022?

Well, I think that ARSOF 2022 is a brilliant document, and I’m not saying that because my boss [Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland] wrote it, but because it’s the best attempt that I have seen that really codifies the special warfare side of SOF, and that has given us focus. A big and immediate impact we’re seeing right now is our focus on the Aviation FID mission. That wasn’t previously something that was a core capability and competency for us, but it is now.