WASHINGTON — Since the inception of airborne warfare, the practice of using parachutes to insert troops into combat zones without land passage has turned the tides of conflicts. Commanders use airborne forces to seize the initiative. A brigade of paratroopers can envelop the ground from the sky in moments, allowing an army to strike deep inside enemy territory to gain key terrain and rapidly build combat power.

Paratroopers today learn their craft in the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, where Soldiers leapt into history 85 years ago.

On Aug. 16, 1940, 48 volunteer members of the Army Parachute Test Platoon jumped from a Douglas B-18 Bolo bomber at 1,500 feet. The jump was less than 45 days after the establishment of the platoon and marked the true beginning of U.S. airborne forces.

Paratroopers everywhere now celebrate that date as National Airborne Day, commemorating “the bravery and daring spirit of sky Soldiers,” according to the 2002 presidential proclamation that established the observance.

The Art of the Jump

Ever wonder what it’s like to learn to be a paratrooper? Check out The Art of the Jump on Defense.gov to find out what it’s like for students of the Army’s Basic Airborne Course. Get ready for a crazy ride!

By DOD News

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – In a display of cooperation and capability, Soldiers from the Colorado Army National Guard and the Jordanian Armed Forces recently conducted a joint airborne operation in Watkins, Colorado.

The April 23 “Friendship Jump” brought together paratroopers from two nations to strengthen warfighting readiness and enhance interoperability under high-risk, realistic training conditions. The Colorado National Guard and Jordan have been partners since May 24, 2004, through the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

“Airborne operations bond people together,” said U.S. Army Master Sgt. Casey Finkbiner, jumpmaster, Colorado Army National Guard. “You place your lives in one another’s hands and trust that they will place your safety above all else. It shows real partnership when we are able to execute air ops with our foreign counterparts.”

The jump, initiated and organized by Finkbiner, showcased the commitment of both forces to operate as a cohesive, capable team in demanding environments.

The operation was particularly complex because of differences in equipment, language and procedures.
Jordanian paratroopers had never jumped from a CH-47 Chinook or used the U.S. MC-6 parachute system. Through detailed coordination and instruction from Colorado Army National Guard jumpmasters, the forces bridged those gaps and executed a successful joint mission.

“Any training that is high risk builds trust between partner militaries, and this makes detailed planning and collaboration even more important,” Finkbiner said.

U.S. Army Col. Alyssa Aarhaus, commander, 89th Troop Command, emphasized the historical and symbolic importance of the jump.

“Although raised in culturally different environments, we came together to celebrate our unique airborne capabilities and the partnership of our two amazing nations,” she said. “By completing this jump with both Jordanian and American jumpmasters, COARNG [Colorado Army National Guard] solidified an already strong partnership and highlighted the talent of our two nations.”

After completing the joint airborne operation, participants were awarded Jordanian jump wings, “a coveted recognition and outward expression of our strong partnership,” Aarhaus said.

The award acknowledges the mutual trust, coordination and shared risk involved in the combined training event, reinforcing interoperability between the two forces.

Finkbiner said the successful execution of this operation serves as a stepping stone for future collaborative missions involving more complex joint capabilities.

“Exercises and partnership events under realistic or high-risk conditions allow the U.S. and Jordanian forces to coordinate and execute complex military operations, improving communication and processes, and overall becoming a more effective combined force,” she said.

A participant from the JAF said, “This joint airborne jump represents a step that reflects the high level of coordination and understanding between the Jordanian Armed Forces and the Colorado National Guard.

“This training provided us with the opportunity to exchange experiences and acquire new skills, which enhanced our readiness and ability to operate jointly in diverse and evolving environments. Cooperation based on mutual respect and professionalism makes us better prepared to face future challenges efficiently and effectively,” the participant said.

While modern technologies such as drones and cybersecurity tools offer critical capabilities in reconnaissance, surveillance and precision engagement, airborne forces continue to play a vital role by providing the ability to rapidly deploy large-scale personnel across the globe. This capability complements emerging domains, ensuring that military forces remain flexible and prepared across both conventional and digital battlefields.

As global security challenges continually evolve, efforts like the “Friendship Jump” can ensure that allied forces remain ready, responsive and resilient together.

Officially signed May 24, 2004, the partnership between Jordan and the Colorado Guard represents a milestone in the SPP program because it was the first such partnership established in the Levant region of the Middle East. Celebrating more than 20 years of cooperation, the partnership has become a cornerstone of strategic collaboration and mutual support between the JAF and the Colorado National Guard.

By Senior Airman Melissa Escobar-Pereira, Colorado National Guard

NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES

NATICK, Mass. – In a strategic collaboration with the Army’s Personnel Airdrop Systems (PADS) team, a group of Northeastern University industrial engineering students culminated their senior capstone competition, delivering more than first prize.

The Parachute Quality Assurance Modernization Team, mentored by U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) aerospace engineer Tashfiq “Tash,” Salam, stood out among 40 engineering teams, each challenged to develop real-world solutions for government and industry use.

Guided by a shared mission, the team of four delivered an award-winning design: a suite of integrated digital tools, modernizing quality assurance for one of Airborne’s most critical and lifesaving capabilities – the personnel parachute systems.

Under the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology ASA(ALT) acquisition standards, every newly manufactured parachute must undergo a thorough inspection before being fielding to units. For the PADS team, this typically requires inspecting 8 to 13 parachutes at a time. According to the students’ research, that process can involve manually reviewing more than 5,000 data points, inspecting and measuring every stitch of fabric, harness and compartment encompassing a parachute system.

“It’s physically demanding,” Tash said. “You’re handling this large parachute; you have to inspect every inch of it. There’s a lot of surface area and a lot of steps.”

Over the course of the capstone project, the team studied those protocols applying direct feedback from quality assurance specialists, engineers and industry professionals. Their final prototype introduced an integrated software system complete with a set of digital measuring tools, capable of logging exact measurements up to 1/16th of an inch with a single click.

Tash shared how the students’ concept significantly improved the QA process, demonstrating the ability to reduce manual inspection time by nearly two hours without compromising quality.
“This is a zero-tolerance environment,” Salam said. “And the operating environment continues to get more complex every day. We needed to ensure the parachute capability we deliver is 100 percent what Soldiers need and in the way they want it. Because at the end of the day, once they land, they still have a follow-on mission. The parachute is just a ride to the mission.”

To support their research, students conducted site visits at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts, where Tash serves as a government civilian with Product Manager – Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment (PdM SCIE), under the Program Executive Office – Soldier. They also met with DEVCOM engineers and Rhode Island National Guard members to gather feedback from quality assurance specialists and Soldiers who regularly perform parachute inspections
With more than 200,000 military free-fall and static line jumps conducted annually, ensuring consistent quality in each parachute is critical to Soldier safety.

“They understood the weight of that responsibility,” said Tash. This wasn’t about checking a box on an academic checklist; they were creating a real capability.”

The centralized system also enhances traceability, allowing inspectors to better assess the acquired measurements and key data points through the digital took it. The data is reported with real time feedback giving the PADS QA team the ability to run analytics on past inspections, identify error trends and performance metrics. As described by Tash, the system supports the PADS team mission of continuously delivering world class products to the airborne warfighter.

Ensuring students were immersed in PADS and SCIE operations was faculty advisor and key partner Dr. B. Kris’ Jaeger-Helton, Director of Capstone Design for Industrial Engineering at Northeastern. Jaeger-Helton celebrated the project as an important model for real-world learning.

“The experience was both challenging and open-ended, with clearly defined security constraints that had to be followed as well, making it the ideal Capstone project,” she said.

This year’s team built upon the foundation of the 2023–2024 capstone, which transitioned the Army’s inspection records from paper-based logs to an Excel-based digital tool. With Tash’s mentorship, this year’s Capstone expanded that concept collecting data from the T-11, MC-6, and RA-1 parachute systems.

Jaeger-Helton, who supported both capstone efforts, emphasized the value of the Army–academic collaboration.
“The capstone students genuinely benefitted from the support of Tash’s dedicated and highly knowledgeable team,” she said. “As clients, the Army PADS team communicated the importance, seriousness, and value of this initiative, while also expressing their trust and confidence in the Northeastern team. I’m looking forward to continuing our partnership for more great initiatives.”

Now in his second year mentoring a NU engineering capstone, Tash highlighted the importance of engaging with emerging talent in support of innovation and advancing Army capabilities.

“That kind of ingenuity and creativity has to come from somewhere, and it often comes from a sense of purpose in what you’re working on,” Salam said. “There was a lot of pride in the student team because they knew they were doing something that matters.”

Story by Khylee Woodford 
PEO Soldier