Jumping the MC 6 parachute out of a CH 47 helicopter and experimenting with a padding kit for the M-4 carbine. It allows quick access to the weapon upon landing, but protects the optics and muzzle (The weapon is not lowered). The combat equipment consists of the A-TAP fighting load carrier, and the MOLLE 4000 Rucksack.
– R Geardesign
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) —
The 317th Airlift Wing supported Battalion Mass Tactical Week at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, Jan. 22-28.
BMTW is a week of training simulating a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command 24-hour response scenario. Three C-130J Super Hercules from the 317th AW alongside three C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, trained with the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as an integrated force to provide strategic and tactical airpower.
“Events in the past, such as D-Day, have led to a demonstrated need for these events giving us now the ability to respond anywhere in the world, utilizing the strategic and tactical airpower of the C-130s and C-17s,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Miller, 317th Operations Group deputy commander and airlift mission commander.
Aircrews focused on meeting the Army’s scatter plan during BMTW by strategically spreading where the paratrooper, heavy equipment and container delivery systems containing supplies would land for ground personnel within the drop zone.
“Joint operations are always difficult and there is a clear need for us to continuously improve,” Miller said. “Being within this environment gets us out of our comfort zone. Moving to something a little more complicated makes us work together as an integrated force which ultimately improves ourselves.”
One of the challenges with BMTW was conducting dissimilar six-ship formations. There are risks associated with flying a dissimilar six-ship formation because of aircraft performance, such as differing slow-down speeds, power settings and altitudes.
“The timing of all of this matters,” Miller said. “When you combine all the different aspects of each aircraft in a high tempo environment, things can get missed. Deconfliction between the aircraft, ensuring the safety of our personnel by communicating and learning with the Army all matters for the mission’s success.”
Many risks were associated with executing BMTW properly, but through disciplined planning and execution, the aircrews and soldiers who participated have come out of BMTW having built a more strongly integrated team.
“The 317th AW participation in BMTW enables continued development of an experienced and capable joint force. While airdrop is one of our oldest core competencies, this exercise allowed us to use emerging technologies to deliver our joint partners with more precision into the battlespace. The time we gain for them improves survivability and makes them even more lethal upon arrival,” said Col. Thomas Lankford, 317th AW commander.
By Airman 1st Class Ryan Hayman, 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Putting the AIRBORNE in Airborne Innovation Lab.
The AIL built a model of the Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Q-UGV for testing door bundle configurations of the Division asset.
Here you see the first iteration, Woody 1, being fitted for his first airborne operation. Once initial testing is complete, they will begin iterating on a metal model of the Vision 60.
Designing, testing, and learning is a cyclic process that the Division continues to do as Masters of the Airborne JFE.
GREEN RIVER LAKE, KY – Soldiers of the 20th Special Forces Group Military Intelligence Company (MICO) conducted a water jump at Green River Lake near Campbellsville, KY, Aug. 6, 2022. The jump was conducted to enhance the company’s proficiency in conducting airborne operations that require a water landing.
“This type of training is important to ensure that when we conduct these sorts of operations over water that our soldiers remain safe.” Said Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Lunger, a jumpmaster with the 20th Special Forces Group MICO. As a facilitating jumpmaster in the training event, Lunger ensured that all soldiers participating in the jump had a thorough understanding of the jumping process, while also training the MICO on the survival swimming required to avoid entanglement or entrapment beneath a parachute in the water – both very real risks when performing airborne operations into water.
For a few soldiers in the 20th Special Forces Group MICO, this was their first time conducting this sort of airborne jump. As new soldiers arrive to the MICO from AIT, the importance of properly training and maintaining proficiency in this skill has only increased. Jumpmasters ensured that these soldiers understood the process of making the jump, the survival swimming required after landing in water, and how to handle their parachute as it becomes waterlogged.
“Today was a special day because you don’t have to worry about landing on the ground and any sort of impact there. It’s just nice and smooth into the water.” Said Spc. John Stark. This was Stark’s first time performing a water jump with the MICO. “It’s against human nature to jump off of something at fifteen-hundred feet with the faith that something is going to catch you… I love having these [training] exercises because for me personally, it stretches me.”
Solders’ families and the locals from Campbellsville gathered by the lakeshore to watch as the 20th Special Forces Group MICO conducted the training exercise. The soldiers made a total of 4 flights over the lake. During each pass, the soldiers defied human nature and jumped into the open air. The only thing standing between them and a fatal fall was a pack full of fabric and rope secured to their backs – their parachutes. After the thrill of jumping out of the aircraft, the soldiers enjoyed a steady descent down into the lake, where Zodiac rafts pulled them from the water and brought them to shore. For many, their families watched the training and welcomed them back to shore with cheers.
Story by SPC Caleb Sooter
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) —
A multilateral collaboration of U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, British army, Australian army, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members conducted an annual New Year’s Jump exercise at Camp Narashino, Jan. 8.
Roughly 400 paratroopers participated in the event jumping from three U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron, one C-130H Hercules and one C-2 Greyhound assigned to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
“The New Year’s Jump is the first big event of the year hosted by JGSDF,” said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Kevin Mendez, 36th Airlift Squadron pilot. “Doing this event has been a longstanding tradition with our allied partners to welcome the new year in the spirit of continued safe operations.”
This event marks a return to a diverse representation of forces participating since the COVID-19 pandemic began, allowing a renewal in partnerships while celebrating the first jump of the year with allies.
“This New Year’s jump event was an opportunity to learn from each other and improve together with our partner nations,” said U.S. Army Col. Christopher Ward, 11th Airborne Division chief of staff. “The true value of what we did here today in not only conducting a multilateral jump to celebrate the New Year, but to also increase our ability to conduct better airborne operations in a joint environment forward in the Pacific theater. Events like this and others builds readiness.”
Teamwork is a military strength at all levels, from small teams to large scale joint force operations, and the annual NYJ exercise is a commitment to maintaining flexible allied interoperability. This display of strength and capability acts as a deterrent to peer adversaries, and as a promise to the lasting friendship of partner forces.
“Our goal is to fortify our interoperability with our international allies through these jumps,” Mendez said. “Integration events like this help enhance interoperability between the U.S. and Japan Self-Defense Forces in the event of a real-world contingency.”
The New Year’s Jump kicks off a series of bilateral training exercises for Yokota AB, which have long since aimed to increase the combat readiness and friendships between the U.S. and its international partners.
Story by Senior Airman Hannah Bean, 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Photos by Staff Sergeant Braden Anderson and Airman 1st Class Brooklyn Golightly
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal Soldier made a grand entrance into the Army-Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Dec. 10.
Staff Sgt. Devin T. Diaz jumped into the stadium during the pre-game activities as a member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.
A native of Sunnyvale, California, Diaz previously served in the 47th Ordnance Company (EOD) on Fort Hood, Texas, and the 759th Ordnance Company (EOD) on Fort Irwin, California.
Both EOD companies are part of the 71st EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier all hazards formation. From 19 bases on 16 states, Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
Diaz later served in the U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group on Fort Meade, Maryland, as an EOD advisor. He was the first staff sergeant to make it through the Operational Advisor Training Course in the history of the group.
Diaz decided to become an EOD technician while serving with the military police in Afghanistan on a Counter Improvised Explosive Device team. He was selected for the EOD program in 2011.
He has deployed to Afghanistan three times, including two deployments with Military Police and one as an EOD team leader. He also deployed with the 759th EOD Company to Syria.
From range clearance operations at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California, to defeating improvised explosive devices in a combat zone, Diaz has honed his lifesaving and mission-enabling skills. In one of many unique missions in Afghanistan, as an EOD team leader with the 47th EOD Company, Diaz conducted post-blast analysis on 15 trucks that had been destroyed by insurgents with improvised explosive devices.
While serving in the 759th EOD Company, Diaz was also a member of the winning Bomb Squad team in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-hosted competition called Urban Shield that brought together California SWAT teams, Fire and Rescue Teams, Emergency Medical Services and Bomb Techs.
He said it takes perseverance to succeed as an Army EOD technician.
“The more resilient that you can be, the better an EOD tech you can be,” said Diaz.
Earlier this year, Diaz demonstrated this kind of resilience when he tore his patellar tendon. After having surgery in February, Diaz was told it would take six to eight months before he could run or jump again.
He started running again four months later and participated in a half marathon six months later. On Oct. 9, he jumped into the Army Ten Miler in Washington, D.C., and then ran the race. He said he intends to participate in the Miami Marathon and he is preparing for an ultramarathon in the future.
Diaz was picked for the Golden Knights during the 2020 assessment and selection. Any American Soldier can apply to serve in the Golden Knights if they have completed 75 free fall jumps, either in the military or as a civilian.
Since the team’s inception, the Golden Knights have participated in 16,000 events in 50 states and 48 countries. With 50 jumpers and 50 support personnel, the teams travel roughly 240 days out of every year. They are one of three U.S. Department of Defense-sanctioned aerial demonstration teams, together with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
As a Golden Knight, Diaz has landed at sports venues and community events around the nation.
From landing on the aircraft carrier USS Midway Museum in San Diego to jumping into Yankees Stadium in New York City, Diaz has participated in 40 different events during his two years as a member of the Golden Knights’ Gold Team.
The highlight of his jumps so far has been landing on the field before the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers game, Nov. 13.
“I got to jump into my hometown stadium,” said Diaz, who has served in the U.S. Army for almost 17 years. “Not only did I get to do that, but my wife and my father were on the field when I landed.”
Command Sgt. Maj. David J. Silva, the senior enlisted leader from the 71st Ordnance Group (EOD), said Diaz personifies the high caliber of Soldiers serving in the Army EOD community.
“He is a consummate professional who never stops seeking and conquering the next challenge. Whether its disarming IEDs in Syria, improving the Army’s ability to counter asymmetric threats or now supporting recruiting as a member of the elite Golden Knights, he’s an example of what you can achieve if you refuse to get comfortable,” said Silva, a master EOD technician from Long Beach, California, who is the senior enlisted leader for the EOD group that commands all U.S. Army EOD Soldiers stationed west of the Mississippi River.
“He proves EOD isn’t just a military occupational specialty. It’s a profession that gives you the skills to succeed in any venture. We have bomb techs who are working with industry partners and civilian agencies, flying planes and helicopters, ship captains in the Army’s sea fleet and working in Congressional fellowships. We offer complex training under high pressure situations with caring leaders to ensure mission success. That success doesn’t stop in the Army, it carries over to life,” said Silva. “It’s not just a job, it’s a calling that doesn’t stop at the bomb.”
By Walter Ham
Legacy Expeditions launches the Triple 7 Expedition in early January (2023), but these Tier One special operators are training now like high-performance athletes to go after a world skydiving record – 7 Continents // 7 Skydives // 7 Days to fund educational scholarships for Gold Star children.
If you are looking for a great Giving Tuesday story of perseverance, renewal, and honor – look no further. Talking with any of these guests will leave your audience inspired.
Mission Matters – these entrepreneurs have built their businesses and lives on that very premise. Long retired from active duty, their work has changed, but not the mission to remember the legacy of the fallen by taking care of the children left behind.
FORT BRAGG, North Carolina — Airborne equipment testers here are working with aerospace engineers on modifying airdrop rigging techniques because of structural and mechanical changes made by the manufacture of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV).
“Testing centered around determining if production representative mode (PRM) ISVs could tolerate the forces experienced during low velocity airdrop operations (LVAD),” said Lt. Col. Derek Johnson, Chief of Test Division at the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate (ABNSOTD).
The ISV is a new concept to allow Army Infantry Brigade Combat Team Soldiers to cover large areas of challenging terrain more quickly and less fatigued by reducing the area usually covered on foot.
Infantrymen would also be able to carry enough personal and squad provisions to self-sustain for several days, and the ISV is also transported easily by air assets during air assault and airborne assault missions.
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center in Natick, Massachusetts assisted ABNSOTD in modifying the ISV rigging procedures and paperboard honeycomb kit to accommodate changes to the production representative model of the ISV by General Motors Defense.
“This capability is required across the range of military operations facing Infantry Brigade Combat Teams conducting crisis response, initial entry, and selected decisive action missions,” said James Cochran (JC), a seasoned Military Test Plans Analyst within ABNSOTD.
Johnson said the changes were deemed necessary after a previous version of the ISV encountered material problems during developmental testing when it was discovered some vehicle components were insufficiently ruggedized for long term vehicle service.
Testing started with a rigging exercise of two PRM ISVs on one standard Type V low velocity airdrop operations (LVAD) platform and one Dual Row Airdrop System platform.
Once rigging solutions and paperboard honeycomb modifications were incorporated into the rigging procedures, both vehicles underwent Simulated Airdrop Impact Testing (SAIT).
The two PRM ISVs rigged on airdrop platforms were raised by crane and free dropped to simulate the impact velocity experienced during LVAD operations.
“During the execution of the SAITs, high-speed video, photography, and instrumentation (accelerometers and impact data recorders) were employed to assess the PRM ISV’s reaction to the forces experienced during LVAD operations,” said Michael Estremera, Electronics Engineer at ABNSOTD.
After SAIT, both vehicles were thoroughly inspected by ABNSOTD, General Motors Defense, and the ISV Program Office to see if either ISV had any damage from forces experienced during the simulated drop.
The testing culminated with a 50-kilometer road test, with ABNSOTD personnel operating the PRM ISVs on improved, semi-improved, and un-improved roads as well as off-road routes at various speeds.
Following road testing, ABNSOTD, General Motors Defense and ISV Program Office personnel thoroughly inspected both vehicles to assess any damage the vehicles may have sustained.
This follow-on testing generated data on the ability of a PRM ISV to withstand the forces experienced during LVAD operations and remain fully mission capable.
“Operating the ISV is a great experience from the driver’s point of view,” said Staff Sergeant Clinton Martinez, an ABNSOTD Parachute Rigger. “It rides smoothly over all types of terrain and visibility is outstanding.”
“The speed and maneuverability of the ISV, along with its capability to easily negotiate all types of terrain should impart confidence in the Infantrymen that will be utilizing this vehicle in real world and training operations,” said Sgt. 1st Class Marcus Love, an Infantryman assigned to ABNSOTD.”
The ISV is deployable worldwide by sea, air, and land to support strategic deployment and operational maneuver in accordance with Army and Joint doctrine.
Story by Mr. Blake Bagby, Military Test Plans Analyst, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command
Photos by Mr. Michael Zigmond, Photographer, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate
