Army forms in-state command for Alaska-based aviation units

Army paratroopers pinch nan 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division exit nan landing area aft loading simulated battlefield casualties onto a CH-47 Chinook chopper during infantry platoon live-fire training successful 2018 astatine Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. (From Alejandro Pena/U.S. Air Force via DVIDS)

The Army’s 11th Airborne Division is activating a caller statement to amended coordination betwixt commanders and 2 Alaska-based aviation units.

The 11th Airborne’s caller Arctic Aviation Command will supply an Alaska office for nan Fort Wainwright-based 1st Battalions of some nan 25th and 52nd Aviation Regiments. The 1-25 flies Apache onslaught helicopters, while nan 1-52 operates Chinook carrier helicopters.

“It’s going to simplify things for those units, truthful that they are responding to 1 commander, arsenic opposed to a section commandant and besides to a faraway commander,” said John Pennell, a section spokesperson.

Pennell said activation of nan Arctic Aviation Command gives nan 2 battalions a section headquarters.

“We person had operational power of nan units that are stationed present to support us. But they person besides had to study up their concatenation of command,” he said.

The 1-25 and 1-52 presently person office astatine Fort Shafter successful Hawaii and Joint Base Lewis-McChord successful Washington, respectively.

Pennell says astir of nan nationalist won’t announcement nan change, but it’s an important measurement guardant for 11th Airborne deployment readiness.

“It’s portion of nan continuing modulation from U.S. Army Alaska to 11th Airborne Division,” he said. The Army reactivated nan 11th Airborne 2 years agone and deactivated nan erstwhile organization, U.S. Army Alaska.

An 11th Airborne news merchandise says nan Arctic Aviation Command will springiness nan section dedicated assets that will heighten aviation operations passim Alaska and wherever it deploys.