FORT RUCKER, Ala. (April 21, 2015) -- The U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general spoke to Wiregrass community leaders and Soldiers to provide an update on the future of Army Aviation.
Maj. Gen. Michael D. Lundy spoke during the Wiregrass Chapter Association of the United States Army Luncheon at the Daleville Cultural and Convention Center April 10 to give a glimpse into where Army Aviation is headed and to show his appreciation for the Soldiers, as well as the community that supports the Branch.
"Our Branch, the Army Aviation Branch, is in a period of transition right now, much like our Army is, and we've got some challenging times ahead. But as I've said, I'm pretty optimistic about where we're going and my optimism is largely centered on the Soldiers that we have," said the commanding general. "Every day I have the honor of being able to watch them perform. It's pretty remarkable what they get done.
"To really see the impact, not only that we have here at Fort Rucker, but up at Fort Eustis (Virginia) and out at Fort Huachuca (Arizona) and around all of our Aviation brigades that are scattered around the world," he said, "the remarkable work that all of our Aviation Soldiers are doing … you can be really proud of them, because I certainly am."
Lundy spoke about the changes going on throughout Army Aviation with the Aviation Restructure Initiative and the impact it's had on Fort Rucker and the local communities, but asked people not to lose sight of what has been accomplished and where the Branch is headed.
"We're going through a restructuring initiative based on some budget cuts that we've seen. The entire Army, and really the entire Department of Defense, is affected by it, so we've had to make some very tough decisions," he said. "Some of that is that we've had to restructure our organizations by decreasing some of them and reorganizing them so that we can be more effective with a smaller Army."
Although a decrease in personnel can seem disheartening, Lundy said that despite the tough times ahead, there is good news to be had.
"I don't want to lose sight of the good things that I see coming through our programs," he said. "Our op-tempo right now and how busy we are is as busy as we've ever been."
Last year, Army Aviation operated in 36 different countries around the world, with Soldiers deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Korea, Japan, Guam, all over the Pacific and 12 different countries across Europe, all of which are fully engaged, according to Lundy.
Soldiers are busy shaping the world, whether in combat or in efforts to prevent future conflict, said the general. The Army isn't just about its fighting force, which is widely known as the most formidable in the world, but also about building and maintaining important relationships through the more than 150,000 Soldiers who are deployed around the world during peace-time operations, he said.
"That is what your Army does for you every day and we do it better than any other nation in the world," said Lundy. "And as a part of that team, Army Aviation is really an asymmetric advantage."
As the force continues to modernize, which is an important tactical advantage to provide the Soldiers with the most advanced capabilities to maintain a technical edge, it's the Soldiers who are the real advantage that needs to be invested in. That investment starts with support, he said, adding that being able to equip them, train them and employ them is what's most important.
"We have a great community here -- you guys enable all of that," said Lundy. "We always feel the embrace of the Wiregrass, and it's very apparent the team play that all of our local communities contribute. That's how we approach things as an Army, because team play is so important. The support that we get from the community is very important, it's very valued and we certainly appreciate it," he said.
Related Links:
USAACE and Fort Rucker on Twitter
Social Sharing