Enlisted Green Platoon candidates are pushed to their physical limits, and forced to become team players to accomplish their tasks.

ARSOF AVIATION HISTORY

Enlisted ‘Green Platoon’

Making Night Stalkers, Part II

By Jared M. Tracy, PhD and

Joshua D. Esposito, PhD

Published September 2019

REFERENCE

This article is a continuation from PART I: Officer ‘Green Platoon’

NOTES

IAW USSOCOM sanitization protocol for historical articles on recent operations, pseudonyms are used for majors and below who are still on active duty, unless names have been publicly released for awards/decorations or DoD news release. Pseudonyms are identified with an asterisk (*). The eyes of active ARSOF personnel in photos are blocked out when not covered with dark visors or sunglasses, except when the photos were publicly released by a service or DoD. Source references (end notes) utilize the assigned pseudonym.

This article was originally written in 2016. All information is current as of that date.

Private (PV2) Nicholas J. Foster enlisted in the U.S. Army straight out of high school. Having met the minimum prerequisite Mechanical Maintenance score of 104 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Foster was able to select CH-47 Helicopter Maintainer (15U) as his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). He graduated from ten-week-long Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and PCS’d (Permanently Changed Station) to Fort Eustis, Virginia, for Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Assigned to 2/210th Aviation Regiment, 128th Aviation Brigade for training, Foster attended the seventeen-week-long 15U course, eventually graduating as the Distinguished Honor Graduate.1 He had expected orders to a conventional Army aviation maintenance company, but instead received orders to the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion (SOATB) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to be assessed and trained as a Night Stalker in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).

This fictional profile depicts the kind of enlisted soldier that might be assigned to SOATB to train for eventual assignment to the 160th SOAR. Regardless of rank or MOS, all enlisted personnel must be assessed and selected to attend training. They must then complete Enlisted ‘Green Platoon’ (EGP) in SOATB before earning assignment to the 160th SOAR. SOATB offers ten enlisted Programs of Instruction (POIs) for new arrivals and enlisted soldiers who have been in the regiment for some time. These POIs range from Enlisted Combat Skills to airframe-specific Maintainer and Non-Rated Crewmember (NRCM) courses. The first step in an enlisted soldier’s path to becoming a Night Stalker is assignment to the SOATB, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bradley D. Osterman.2

Enlisted personnel enter into SOA training by one of two ways. First, ‘Department of the Army (DA) Select’ soldiers are assigned by the U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC) based on MOSs needed by the Regiment. Most assignees are Initial Entry Training (IET) trainees, usually nearing the end of their time in AIT. The second way a soldier enters into SOA training is by volunteering and applying through the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion (SORB). Assignment to SOATB does not guarantee that the soldier will begin training—they must first be assessed and selected. The process for assessing enlisted personnel for training differs from that of officers and warrant officers in one significant way: the Regiment assesses officers and warrant officers before assignment to SOATB; whereas SOATB, specifically Company A, assesses enlisted personnel after they arrive for training.3

Newly arrived soldiers to Assessment Platoon, Company A, SOATB, prepare for a nighttime foot march.
Newly arrived soldiers to Assessment Platoon, Company A, SOATB, prepare for a nighttime foot march. (Image credit: U.S. Army)

Responsibility for assessment and Combat Skills training falls on Company A, SOATB. Commanded by CPT Kellie A. McCarthy*, and with First Sergeant (1SG) Mitchell W. Norvell* as the senior Noncommissioned Officer (NCO), Company A consists of four platoons: Assessment, Reassignment, Enlisted Combat Skills, and Officer Combat Skills. The Assessment Platoon conducts the assessment and selection during Week 1. In addition to completing a background questionnaire, a psychological screening, and passing a security clearance check, candidates must meet minimum Army standards on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) (at least 60 points each for the push-up, sit-up, and two-mile run events) and meet height and weight standards. Soldiers who fail the APFT receive additional physical training and re-test in six weeks. Nearly 90 percent of soldiers who fail the first APFT will pass the re-test and may begin training, provided that they have met the other assessment criteria. Those who repeatedly fail the APFT or height and weight standards, or are otherwise found not to be compatible with the 160th SOAR, transfer to the Reassignment Platoon to await transition out of SOATB. According to 1SG Norvell*, “The assessment is probably just as critical as the course itself because it is our filter for who comes to the organization, who starts training and who doesn’t.”4

The Enlisted Combat Skills POI lasts for six weeks (30 training days). Company A teaches seven ground combat skills courses per year with four committees: Land Navigation, First Responder, Weapons, and Combatives. In each area, students receive detailed practical instruction by a cadre of both active duty soldiers and contractors, mostly former or retired Night Stalkers. They have to pass a written examination and a practical culmination event administered by each committee. During the course, enlisted personnel must complete a four-mile run in 36 minutes, and four, eight, and twelve mile road marches in the allotted times. Enlisted personnel must also undergo an arduous ‘team-building’ day, similar to a Leader’s Reaction Course.5

Soldiers evacuate mock casualties using the ‘fireman’s carry’ in a graded trauma lane during the First Responder phase of the Combat Skills course.
Soldiers evacuate mock casualties using the ‘fireman’s carry’ in a graded trauma lane during the First Responder phase of the Combat Skills course. (Image credit: U.S. Army)
Soldiers attempt to find their location on a map during the Land Navigation phase of the Combat Skills course (Company A, SOATB).
Soldiers attempt to find their location on a map during the Land Navigation phase of the Combat Skills course (Company A, SOATB).
A SOATB-assigned contractor observes soldiers firing M4 carbines during the Weapons phase of the Combat Skills course.
A SOATB-assigned contractor observes soldiers firing M4 carbines during the Weapons phase of the Combat Skills course.
A contractor teaches striking techniques during the Combatives phase of the Combat Skills course.
A contractor teaches striking techniques during the Combatives phase of the Combat Skills course.
Combat Skills candidates are mentally and physically tested during the team-building portion of the course.
Combat Skills candidates are mentally and physically tested during the team-building portion of the course.
“Team-building is a very critical aspect of the enlisted class. It’s an amazing visual transformation where you see a bunch of individuals who we take and break down, mentally and physically. They’re put in stressful situations without being in a life-threatening environment. They realize that they can’t function on their own and have to rely on each other. We enable them to realize that they’re a team. They’ve gotten past themselves and are thinking about the person next to them. That’s probably the most amazing transformation that we see.”6- Mitchell W. Norvell*, 1SG, Company A

Soldiers who pass all phases of Combat Skills receive a graduation certificate as well as a Modern Army Combatives Program Level I certificate. Company A graduates an average of 54 enlisted soldiers per class (approximately 380 per year), or about 60 percent of the total number of soldiers who initially report for assessment and training.7 Graduates with non-aviation MOSs (such as 92-series Quartermaster Corps MOSs) report directly to their 160th unit of assignment. Graduates with 15-series Aviation Branch MOSs take the two-day Dunker Qualification Course at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility (AATF) before reporting to Company B, SOATB, for additional Maintenance, Avionics, or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) training.8

Led by CPT Conner M. Federer* and 1SG Jayden T. Setler*, Company B is the Flight Company of SOATB. Company B training elements include an A/MH-6 Platoon, an MH-60 Platoon, an MH-47 Platoon, and Medical and UAS Sections. Like Company A, Company B cadre consists of both active duty and contract personnel, again mostly former or retired Night Stalkers, with the latter handling most of the daily instruction. Even though recent Combat Skills graduates are already MOS-qualified, in Company B they learn the nuances and specialized equipment of Army SOF aircraft, also known as “The Night Stalker Way,” according to CPT Federer*. Company B offers seven 12-day A/MH-6 Maintainer courses per year (average throughput of 56 soldiers annually); seven 10-day MH-60 Maintainer courses per year (70 students annually); and seven 7-day MH-47 Maintainer courses per year (56 students annually). For avionics specialists, Company B offers seven 5-day A/MH-6 Avionics courses per year (28 students annually) and seven 25-day Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) courses per year (28 students annually). Graduates of the Maintainer and Avionics courses then report to their respective 160th unit of assignment.9 After completing the SOF Gray Eagle Course, UAS Operators (15Ws) report to Company E or Company F, 2/160th SOAR.

Unmanned Aerial Systems operators (15Ws) specialized in the MQ-1C Gray Eagle take the SOF Gray Eagle Course prior to reporting to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR.
Unmanned Aerial Systems operators (15Ws) specialized in the MQ-1C Gray Eagle take the SOF Gray Eagle Course prior to reporting to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR.

Company B offers advanced training for assigned 160th soldiers. First are the 86-day MH-60 and MH-47 Non-Rated Crewmember (NRCM) courses. 1SG Setler* elaborates on this training: “The NRCM courses are for guys who have been through Enlisted ‘Green Platoon,’ they’ve gone through our maintainer’s course, and they’ve been in the Regiment in one of the battalion maintenance companies for a couple of years. Then they come back through Company B to receive their NRCM training in order to transition from a maintainer to an air crewman. They learn the basics about how to put on their flight gear all the way up to aerial gunnery and crew duties during HAAR [Helicopter Air-to-Air Refueling], environmental landings in mountains and deserts, and landing on the back of a ship underway.”10

An MH-47G Chinook crew chief checks the final approach of his helicopter, skills attained during the 86-day Non-rated Crewmember (NRCM) course provided by Company B, SOATB.
An MH-47G Chinook crew chief checks the final approach of his helicopter, skills attained during the 86-day Non-rated Crewmember (NRCM) course provided by Company B, SOATB.
An MH-47G Chinook crew chief scans his sector during training. Capable, motivated helicopter repairers assigned to 160th maintenance companies can train to become NRCMs through Company B, SOATB.
An MH-47G Chinook crew chief scans his sector during training. Capable, motivated helicopter repairers assigned to 160th maintenance companies can train to become NRCMs through Company B, SOATB.

Other advanced courses offered to existing 160th soldiers include the MH-60 and MH-47 Flight Instructor (FI) and Standardization Instructor (SI) Courses and the Special Operations Aviation Medical Indoctrination Course (SOAMIC). The MH-60 and MH-47 FI Course trains already qualified NRCMs to “provide instruction, training, and evaluations of the Non Rated Crewmember flight tasks.” SIs are responsible for the same tasks as FIs, but they also help the commander “develop, implement, and manage the Aircrew Training Program.”11  According to 1SG Setler*, “The FI students will evaluate NRCM students while they themselves are receiving evaluations by SIs.” A typical training scenario would feature an officer or warrant officer aviation student and an Instructor Pilot (IP) flying the helicopter in the front while the NRCMs, FIs, and SIs conduct their training and evaluations in the back.12 Graduates of these courses then report to their respective 160th unit of assignment.

Finally, the 50-day SOAMIC provides 160th-assigned Health Care Specialists (68Ws) who have completed the Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) Course advanced training on “in-flight trauma/resuscitative care.”13 SOAMIC consists of “didactic and practical training in SOA medical tasks, provider-level clinical and battlefield medicine, and critical decision-making.” Throughout SOAMIC, “students gain proficiency in basic SOA NRCM tasks such as emergency procedures, night-vision goggle (NVG) training, Aircrew Coordination Training-Enhanced (ACT-E), and safety procedures for all SOA aircraft.” SOAMIC ends with a two week training cycle at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Level 1 trauma center working in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit.14 SOAMIC graduates likewise report to their 160th units of assignment upon completion.

Students move their simulated casualty toward an MH-6 Little Bird for evacuation during the Special Operations Aviation Medical Indoctrination Course (SOAMIC) provided by Company B, SOATB.
Students move their simulated casualty toward an MH-6 Little Bird for evacuation during the Special Operations Aviation Medical Indoctrination Course (SOAMIC) provided by Company B, SOATB.

This article has explained how enlisted soldiers are recruited, assessed, selected, and trained to be Night Stalkers. First, soldiers either volunteer for the 160th SOAR through the SORB or, more commonly, receive assignment by HRC based on their MOS. After assigned soldiers PCS to Fort Campbell, they report to Company A, SOATB, for a week-long assessment. Non-selected candidates transition out of SOATB while those selected begin Combat Skills training provided by Company A. Non-aviation graduates of Combat Skills proceed to their operational units while aviation graduates take the two-day Dunker Qualification Course en route to Company B, SOATB. At Company B, 15-series maintainers, avionics specialists, and UAS operators take airframe-specific courses prior to reporting to their operational units. Enlisted aviation soldiers with time and experience in the 160th can apply to be trained as Non-Rated Crewmembers and eventually as Flight Instructors/Standardization Instructors. In Enlisted ‘Green Platoon,’ students are taught “The Night Stalker Way” as they are inculcated with the Night Stalker ethos and culture of excellence.

ENDNOTES

  1. CH-47 Helicopter Maintainer MOS and training information found on http://www.rucker.army.mil/usaace/128ab/ (accessed 25 April 2016); http://www.128thab.army.mil/ (accessed 25 April 2016); http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/mechanics/ch-47-helicopter-repairer.html (accessed 25 April 2016); http://www.goarmy.com/learn/understanding-the-asvab.html (accessed 25 April 2016).  [return]
  2. Special Operations Training Battalion (SOATB), Power Point Presentation, “SOATB 101: SOATB—The FIRST Step in Night Stalking,” 1 September 2015, copy in USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC, hereafter “SOATB 101.” [return]
  3. “SOATB 101”; MAJ Jackson J. Dunbar*, Regimental S-1, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 26 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  4. “SOATB 101”; CPT Kellie A. McCarthy* and 1SG Mitchell W. Norvell*, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 26 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  5. “SOATB 101”; SOATB, Power Point Presentation, “Enlisted Combat Skills Assessment and Selection,” 16 March 2015, copy in USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC, hereafter “Enlisted Combat Skills.” [return]
  6. Norvell interview, 26 January 2016. [return]
  7. Emails from Norvell and SFC Jebediah B. James* to Jared M. Tracy, “SUBJECT: Re: Final questions,” 13 July 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Thirty percent of soldiers who are assessed do not start the course for various reasons. Of the 70 percent that start EGP, eleven percent fail the course at some stage. Of that total 41 percent that do not graduate from the class that they initially reported for, about twenty percent are recycled to a second class and inserted at the start of the committee that they were in when they were dropped. Soldiers only receive two chances to complete the course. [return]
  8. “SOATB 101”; “Enlisted Combat Skills”; email from 1SG Jayden T. Setler* to Jared M. Tracy, “SUBJECT: RFI,” 18 July 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC, hereafter Setler* email, 18 July 2016.   [return]
  9. “SOATB 101”; Company B, Power Point Presentation, “Bravo Company Officer Training,” 8 December 2015, copy in USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC, hereafter “B Company Training”; CPT Conner M. Federer* and 1SG Setler*, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 27 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC; Setler* email, 18 July 2016; Jacqueline Boucher, “Tobyhanna, industry merge talents to repair new technology,” https://www.army.mil/article/158048/ (accessed 11 July 2016); Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, “Black Hawk UH-60M Baseline and UH-60M Upgrade,” FY 2009, http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2009/pdf/army/2009uh60mblackhawk.pdf (accessed 11 July 2016). The A/MH-6 Maintainer Course is longer than the others because the 160th is the only Army unit with that kind of helicopter, so training on that airframe is ‘from the ground up’. The MH-60 Maintainers Course is three days longer than the MH-47 Course in order to facilitate those students who were unable to attend the dunker prior to class starting. This helps ensure that all personnel arriving at their gaining unit are Dunker Qualified. CAAS is a cockpit system consisting of touch-screen, multi-function flat-panel displays designed to provide “enhanced navigation and situational awareness while reducing crew workload.”  [return]
  10. “B Company Training”; Setler* interview, 27 January 2016. [return]
  11. Setler* email, 18 July 2016. [return]
  12. “B Company Training”; Setler* interview, 27 January 2016. [return]
  13. CPT L. Kyle Faudree, “160th SOAR (A) Flight Medic Specialized Training: The Special Operations Aviation Medical Indoctrination Course,” Journal of Special Operations Medicine 10/2 (Spring 2010): 5.  [return]
  14. Attachment to Setler* email, 18 July 2016. [return]