Another significant Ranger event in 2014 is likely to be one of the most important American SOF stories of 2015: the inclusion of women. Over the past several years, USASOC has been exploring and developing the methods by which women would be able to qualify for and attend the prestigious Ranger Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Ranger Course is among the most difficult and grueling military training curriculums in the world today. As this volume is going to press, the first integrated Ranger selection and qualification course is being conducted, with several women still competing from the 19 who previously passed the Ranger Training Assessment Course. And while there is no guarantee that any of them will succeed, that any of them survived the assessment phase is a testament to their individual intensity and fortitude.
Army Special Operations Aviation Command (ARSOAC)
Since its creation in 2011, ARSOAC has been a highly dynamic organization, and this did not change in 2014. ARSOAC’s second commanding officer, Brig. Gen. Clayton M. Hutmacher, was relieved by Brig. Gen. Erik C. Peterson on June 10. Interestingly, the two officers are swapping jobs, with Peterson coming from, and Hutmacher going to become, deputy commanding general for support of the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea. Cleveland, who presided over the change-of-command ceremony, spoke extensively about Hutmacher’s work over the previous several years.
Aviators from 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, conduct a Maritime External Air Transportation System (MEATS) training evolution in Moses Lake, Washington, with Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen from Special Boat Team 12, stationed at Naval Base Coronado, California. MEATS is a way to move a watercraft from a point on land or water to another location using an Army MH-47G Chinook helicopter. The crewmen rig the boat to the helicopter as it hovers above, and then climb a rope ladder to board the helicopter before moving to the final destination, where they will slide down a rope to the boat before the helicopter disconnects the hoist cables. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Prows, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
“What most don’t see is that he is a dedicated teammate, a humble man whose sense of humor, positive attitude, genuine compassion for soldiers and the units he commands and supports, and uncompromising standards of excellence in all things aviation and Army, mark him as the finest Army aviation leader with whom I served, and has distinguished him from his peers,” said Cleveland. “Over the last two years, Clay has guided the fledgling command from a newly formed headquarters to a fully functional resourcing headquarters and member of the USASOC team of teams. In two short years under Clay’s leadership as the second USASOAC commanding general, we have seen dramatic changes in our Special Operations Aviation capability. Clay’s tenure has seen the development of a greatly enhanced aviation FID [Foreign Internal Defense] capability, a maturing of the command as an advocate for the entire Special Operations Aviation enterprise, the procurement of the C-27J and of course, the continued world-class-support that the 160th SOAR [Special Operations Aviation Regiment] continues to provide around the world.”
Another ARSOAC command group change included Command Sgt. Maj. David L. Lemon passing his responsibilities to Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory M. Chambers, while Command Chief Warrant Officer Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bob D. Witzler did the same with his replacement, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Douglas M. Englen. On Dec. 5, Witzler retired after 29 years of active service in a ceremony at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 160th SOAR (the “Night Stalkers”). Hutmacher, former commanding general of ASOAC, presided over the ceremony.