Ground Force Commander Essay

Army Aviation in general is a support branch for the Ground Force Commander. Army Aviation provides many services. These services are; movement to contact, attack, reconnaissance, security, air assault, mission command and support, personnel recovery, air movement, and aeromedical evacuation. Army Aviation integrates into unified land operations by conducting air-ground operations (AGO) as the aviation maneuver force of the combined arms team. Airground operations (AGO) are the simultaneous or synchronized employment of ground forces with aviation maneuver and fires to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. (FM 3-04) What does this all mean? The end state is to provide the Commander the following; Accurate and Timely Information Collection, Reaction Time and
Whether it be wounded Soldiers or just getting Soldiers from point A to point B, this asset has been highly utilized in recent conflict and is a cornerstone of the Ground Force Commander’s playbook. At the end of the day though there is one thing the Ground Force Commander is really reliant upon and that is Attack.

Attack and movement to contact operations have proven to be some of the most effective means of employing combat power across the spectrum of battle. Ground Force Commanders often use weapons platforms such as the AH-64 or the OH-58. Using air assets normally gives the Commander the option of not sending his troops into a potentially harmful situation where it could cost lives. Many lives have been saved due to the efforts made my Army Aviators. In Summary, Army Aviation is here to stay. We as a branch are invaluable to every fight and every scenario in modern combat. Army Aviators will need to make sure their skills are honed and reflexes sharp, because at any moment in time they could be called upon to fight the enemy in one form or another. Troops on the ground get a boost to their fighting spirit because Army Aviation