101st Airborne Division conducts historic large-scale air assault
On Aug. 28, 2024, more than 3000 Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team “STRIKE”, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) finished their second rotation to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in eight months. However, the beginning of the exercise was transformative and historic. The 2MBCT conducted a “large-scale, long-range” air assault (L2A2) operation consisting of 80 aircraft, across three states, flying from Fort Campbell, Ky. to Fort Johnson, La. Aug. 13-17.
As explained by Staff Sgt. Kaden Pitt, US Army, in the article 101st Airborne Division conducts historic air assault mission, after traveling for over 500 miles, including stops at six forward arming and refueling points (FARPs), scattered over multiple southern states, the 2MBCT arrived at JRTC.
The movement method was not a typical way a brigade travels to “The Box”, but a way that was reminiscent to the founding of the 101st. Traditionally, units move by ground to Fort Johnson, spend several days preparing before entering the combat scenario. The Strike Brigade moved by air-to-ground into simulated-contested landing zones. Thus, began a two-week bout with the well-known opposing forces “Geronimo,” 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment.
“The legacy that we have, dating all the way back to World War II when we were an Airborne Division fighting in Europe,” said US Army Col. Travis McIntosh, the deputy commanding officer for support for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) “Your 101st Airborne Division now is Air Mobile–it’s Air Assault, we have a number of helicopters. That’s how we fight in this division and we’re demonstrating that from Kentucky and Tennessee all the way down to Louisiana.”
Much more than an aviation mission
This was much more than an aviation mission. On Aug. 13, troops and equipment from across the Division began their movement from Fort Campbell to FARP s across Mississippi and Louisiana. The sites, far from a simple pit stop along the operational path, provided vital sustainment for the troops and helicopters along the way.
“Our birds [aircraft] are able to come in get fueled, get armed and continue the fight,” said 1st Lt. James Tate, a quartermaster officer with Echo Troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. “We can puddle hop across and get the birds further over a shorter period of time.”
The ability to send an entire brigade into an enemy area of operations further and faster is not the only aspect that allows this type of exercise to succeed – it also needs to be done at night.
“We conduct all our operations under a period of darkness,” said Tate. “We like the birds to get in, receive their fuel, get armed and off of our pads within 12 to 15 minutes.”
A massive amount of coordination
The quick turnaround represents a massive amount of coordination from within the division but training like this is only made possible by the support of the local communities, airports, and National Guard locations who hosted the FARPs.
The Soldiers of the Strike Brigade descended into JRTC for their training in an auxiliary manner as the Army continues to modernize, innovate and transform its warfighting capabilities. The L2A2 displays the combat power of today with 101st, just as airborne paratroopers did in World War II. The 101st doesn’t just keep older ways of combat entry relevant but to make those unique abilities the future of combat operations.
“We’re experimenting on some of the most modern equipment that the Army has fielded and we’re looking forward to providing that feedback to the Army,” said McIntosh. “We’re demonstrating the capability that’s only seen in the 101st Airborne Division and that’s long-range air assault.”
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is named in honor of Brig. Gen. William Bowen Campbell, the last Whig governor of Tennessee.
The post is the nation’s premier power projection platform. Strategically located on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, the 106,700-acre installation possesses a unique capability to deploy mission-ready contingency forces by air, rail, highway and inland waterway.
Fort Campbell is proud to be the home of the only air assault division in the world, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
The post has always been at the forefront of change and continues to be a leader in developing innovative and proactive methodologies to meet US Army many challenges.
Soldiers assigned to Fort Campbell can expect to have one of the highest quality-of-life standards in the Army. New housing, quality medical care, thriving communities, recreation and schools combine to ensure that Fort Campbell is a world-class community.
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) is the only air assault division of the United States Army. Nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles,” the 101st has consistently distinguished itself by demonstrating the highest standards of military professionalism since its activation at one minute after midnight, Aug. 16, 1942.
On Aug. 19 of that year, the first commander, Maj. Gen. William C. Lee, promised his new recruits that although the new division had no history, it would soon have a “rendezvous with destiny.” As a division, the 101st has never failed that prophecy.
The 101st is recognized for its unmatched Air Assault capability, its ability to execute any combat or contingency mission anywhere in the world, and is still proving its mettle as “tomorrow’s division in today’s Army.”
The Screaming Eagles are one of the most deployed and recognized divisions in the US Army, with a combat record spanning from the paratroopers of World War II to the Security Force Assistance Teams deployed in Afghanistan.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Raymond Valdez / U.S. Army