NASHVILLE -- Army Aviation's top priority from a Fort Rucker perspective is resourcing the institution, according to Aviation's branch chief, Maj. Gen. William K. Gayler.
While increased Aviation capability remains a key priority as the Army modernizes, Gayler pointed to other areas for improvement that do not require spending additional money, as part of a branch update during the Army Aviation Association of America 2019 Mission Solutions Summit at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. April 15.
"We know we have to modernize. But we also can do a whole lot to fix ourselves," said Gayler, who commands the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, Ala.
Gayler spoke about recent decisions the Army made to help increase the numbers of air crew members the training center can provide to fielded units. To help "grow back capability" and increase the student throughput, Army placed a greater priority on aircraft available for training at Fort Rucker, as well as increasing the priority for parts needed for training, according to Gayler.
"It's a bit of a vicious cycle. If you don't have enough, you fly more on the ones you do have. That means you put more into scheduled maintenance, which means you consume parts at a higher rate; and if you don't have the funding and the parts available and the priority to get the parts, you'll fall behind. Our senior leaders have made a clear decision and prioritization that we've got to resource the institution," Gayler said.
The institution is the starting point for combat air crew members, he explained.
"Fort Rucker must be resourced to provide air crew members to the field, so that they can be fine-tuned and honed into that combat capability," Gayler said.
Going forward, Gayler called for leaders to remain laser focused on driving innovation.
"First, you have to lead. And you can't lead unless you're competent. We've spent a whole lot of time regaining some warfighting capabilities and some competencies back at certain levels. Second, that any of us will do inside of a formation, is to improve. And the only way to improve frankly is to change. To test, experiment, find innovative ways to do things differently, so we lead and we change. We lead change," he said.
Some key reforms are also underway as the branch also addresses years of under-accession, an increased attrition rate, a rapidly maturing warrant officer population, as well as competition from a commercial airline industry in need of pilots.
"We have to access more, but we have to retain more in order for that not to be a risk," Gayler said.
Retention incentives include monetary bonuses for targeted groups, although Gayler believes there are better ways to address the issue.
"I think bonuses are a short-term fix for an acute problem, but we've got to start looking at other ways to keep folks in the Army," he said.
Other potential incentives include boosting flight pay, additional professional pay for Aviators who achieve significant milestones such as becoming a pilot in command or instructor pilot, and increasing the active duty service obligation for new Aviators from six to eight years.
The federal service maximum for enlisted Soldiers has also been reduced down to eight years (from 12) to bring them into Aviation sooner to potentially increase their length of service in the branch.
The Center is looking at the possibility in the future for some captains to remain at Fort Rucker as instructors and adjust their year group by two years so they are still competitive for promotion, to free up warrant officer talent to "fill holes in the field," Gayler explained.
"The point is we have to start thinking differently about how we manage talent, and differently about how we increase expertise and capability back in the formations," Gayler said.
Gayler emphasized the Center's focus on producing aircrew members, (rather than pilots).
"That was one of the drivers for the Aviation Warfighting Initiative, to make warfighting skills critical--not technical knowledge, but combat knowledge," he said.
To that effect, the USAACE has rewritten most of its doctrinal manuals.
"If we don't start regaining collective warfighting skills, in ten years there will be no intuition and no gut feeling of senior leaders because they're not expert at it. You can't have that 'I sense that this is going to happen' (gut feeling) if you haven't trained it to such a level that you're expert at it," he said.
The Center has also placed increased emphasis on ensuring flight school students understand the Standard Operating Procedures, which included providing a battle book and SOP to lieutenants and warrant officers in flight school, and giving them an opportunity at Fort Rucker to plan, brief, rehearse, fly the mission in simulations and complete an After Action Review.
The goal is, once they get to their unit, "you're able to teach them more and take them farther in a quicker period of time," Gayler said.
The Center also plans to experiment with new virtual reality simulations training this summer to produce a better aviator faster.
"I want a better product with increased student throughput velocity at Fort Rucker to fill holes in the field. If we can meet that, we're making progress," Gayler said.
Another key priority for the branch is a style of positive leadership that aims to impact a generation of new Soldiers coming into the Army who may not have ideas of staying in one career for more than a few years.
"You've got to motivate somebody to want to replace you," Gayler said.
Gayler thanked leaders across the Aviation enterprise for their friendship and teamwork tackling issues facing the branch, as well as industry partners and the broader Army for the ability to participate in the summit annually.
"This is critical for us, this opportunity to have dialogue to see what is in the realm of the possible," he said.
He emphasized the importance of support from family members at "an incredible time in our global history."
"For every Solder there's a family member sitting at home, there are children, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers that all worry about these soldiers when they deploy. Thank you to the families for allowing your Soldiers to do our nation's business," Gayler said.
Gayler also commended the staff at USAACE.
"I don't think people realize the USAACE has a staff about the size of a combat aviation brigade staff. And we're flying six plus CABs' worth of aircraft every single day," Gayler said. "And frankly, they're the finest staff I've ever seen in the world."
During the event, Aviation Branch Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Brian N. Hauke conducted a special enlisted update working group session, and Chief Warrant Officer of the Aviation Branch CW5 Joseph B. Roland led a panel session focused on Aviation warrant officer readiness review.
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