A 160th SOAR aviator candidate releases his seat straps during dunker training at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility, Fort Campbell, KY.

ARSOF AVIATION HISTORY

Officer ‘Green Platoon’

Making Night Stalkers, Part I

By Jared M. Tracy, PhD and

Joshua D. Esposito, PhD

Published September 2019

NOTES

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

In June 2011, a Distinguished Military Graduate of ROTC at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, completed a B.S. degree in Health and Exercise Science. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant (2LT) in Aviation, he completed the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course and the AH-64D Longbow Apache Course at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Following flight school, the 2LT attended Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) school before reporting for assignment to the 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The pilot’s stateside and overseas combat duty positions included Attack Helicopter Platoon Leader and battalion Assistant S-3. In 2015, having accrued 500 flight hours, and with eight months left on assignment, the now-captain (CPT) got a personal email from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), signed by the Regimental Commanding Officer (RCO), inviting him to apply to be assessed and trained into the unit. He had seen SOAR advertisements and attended Special Operations Recruiting Battalion (SORB) briefings before, but now he was ready to pursue a new challenge in his career. The CPT visited the SORB to submit an application to be assessed and trained as a Night Stalker.

The above Army aviator profile typifies an ideal candidate for the 160th SOAR. This brief article first explains the assessment and selection process for officer and warrant officer volunteers.1 Next, it details how officers are trained to become Night Stalkers in the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion (SOATB), led by Lieutenant Colonel Bradley D. Osterman and Sergeant Major Marcus B. Buker*. Officer ‘Green Platoon’ (OGP), a term symbolizing 160th pride and esprit, embodies the entire officer training experience before joining the Regiment. However, before an officer attends OGP, he or she must apply and be assessed.

The SORB includes eighteen Night Stalkers dedicated to 160th recruiting.  Ten are ‘forward-based’ where conventional Army Combat Aviation Brigades (CABs) are located. The rest are at Fort Campbell, but they travel on Temporary Duty (TDY) to assist the forward-based recruiters collocated with the CABs.2 The two basic recruiting approaches are mass briefings and specific targeting. Using the ‘mass’ approach, SORB recruiters brief large audiences of pilots in CABs about the SOAR, and hand out informational materials. Interested aviators sign up for an interview to discuss applying with the SORB. Those who wish to apply work with the SORB to complete their packets. Before a pilot is invited to be assessed by the SOAR, the packets must be reviewed and approved by a board consisting of an Assessment ‎Officer, the Regimental Psychologist, the Regimental S-1 (RS1), a battalion commander or executive officer, the Regimental Command Chief Warrant Officer (if the applicant is a warrant officer), the Regimental Executive Officer or Deputy Commanding Officer, and finally the RCO.

While mass briefings remain one recruiting avenue, the 160th recently added a more personalized approach, according to the RS1, Major (MAJ) Jackson J. Dunbar*.3 After narrowing the pool of pilots in a specific CAB based on preferred skills and experience, the 160th sends eligible aviators who have met certain gates in their careers an RCO-signed invitation to assess. Invitations explain the CAB population and aviators’ standing among their peers, helping an individual understand why the 160th expressed interest in them. The 160th desires career-focused, team-oriented, and highly committed pilots.4 Responses to the personal invitations have been very positive.

The SOAR then schedules selected applicants for a week-long assessment, which includes the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), a swim test, a psychological screening, and a general aviation knowledge exam. A small RS1 assessment team led by a Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) ushers candidates through the process. Finally, a board chaired by the RCO decides who will begin ‘Green Platoon.’ After completing their current CAB assignments, those who passed the 160th SOAR assessment receive PCS orders from U.S. Army Human Resources Command to report to Fort Campbell.5 SOATB takes it from there.

Trainees treat simulated casualties at a mock crash site during the First Responder phase of Combat Skills, Company A, SOATB.
Trainees treat simulated casualties at a mock crash site during the First Responder phase of Combat Skills, Company A, SOATB.
160th SOAR aviator candidates use a protractor to plot their points during the Land Navigation phase of Combat Skills, Company A, SOATB.
160th SOAR aviator candidates use a protractor to plot their points during the Land Navigation phase of Combat Skills, Company A, SOATB.
Officers fire 9mm pistols during Combat Skills weapons training, Company A, SOATB.
Officers fire 9mm pistols during Combat Skills weapons training, Company A, SOATB.
Two officers grapple during the Combatives phase of Combat Skills, Company A, SOATB.
Two officers grapple during the Combatives phase of Combat Skills, Company A, SOATB.

Company A, SOATB provides the Officer Combat Skills Program of Instruction (POI). CPT Kellie A. McCarthy*, Military Intelligence and U.S. Military Academy ’08, and First Sergeant (1SG) Mitchell W. Norvell*, an Aviation Operations Specialist with thirteen years as a Night Stalker, provide the company leadership. Consisting of four platoons (Assessment, Reassignment, Enlisted Combat Skills, and Officer Combat Skills), Company A provides seven fifteen-day classes (up to twenty students each) each year via its Officer Combat Skills Platoon. The Combat Skills POI is run by four committees: Land Navigation, First Responder, Weapons, and Combatives. A single, end-of-course graded situational training exercise (STX) validates student learning in the four areas. During the course, all students must complete a four-mile run in thirty-six minutes and timed four and six mile ruck marches. Largely because of the Regiment’s effective assessment process, Company A enjoys a near-100% officer ‘pass rate.’ After completing Combat Skills, staff officers report to their respective units while aviators progress to the two-day Dunker Qualification Course at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility.6

Recent Combat Skills graduates begin dunker training at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility (AATF), Fort Campbell, KY.
Recent Combat Skills graduates begin dunker training at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility (AATF), Fort Campbell, KY.
Having completed the ‘crawl’ and ‘walk’ phases of initial dunker training at the AATF, an officer egresses from the MH-60/MH-47 mock-up, a challenge compounded by simulated wind, wave, and noise conditions.
Having completed the ‘crawl’ and ‘walk’ phases of initial dunker training at the AATF, an officer egresses from the MH-60/MH-47 mock-up, a challenge compounded by simulated wind, wave, and noise conditions.

After completing dunker training, all aviators are transferred to Company B, SOATB. Led by Fully Mission Qualified MH-6M pilot CPT Conner M. Federer* and 1SG Jayden T. Setler*, Company B instructs all flight POIs to ensure trainees subsequently assigned to operational units are Basic Mission Qualified (BMQ). The company has three flight platoons (A/MH-6, MH-60, and MH-47) and two special sections (Medical and Unmanned Aircraft Systems [UAS]). Like Company A, their cadre consists of both active duty and contract personnel (many former or retired Night Stalkers), with the latter handling most of the daily instruction. The first step for all aviators is the four-week Basic Skills Couse (BSC), a ‘non-flying’ course in which aviators practice advanced air navigation (with maps and compasses), mission planning, and air mission briefs. After completing BSC, the students break into groups of four to six to begin their airframe-specific BMQ course to train on what they will fly in the line companies. The AH-6M (attack) BMQ course is 71 training days; the MH-6M (lift) BMQ course is 75 training days (longer than the AH-6 course due to more time in urban and overwater training); and MH-60L and MH-47G BMQ courses are each 85 training days.7

Although the training schedules and emphases vary by aircraft, all BMQ courses share some common elements to address the unique and dangerous 160th mission sets. After twenty days in a state-of-the-art Combat Mission Simulator (CMS), the aviators train ‘real-world’ on desert, mountain, urban, and overwater operations; deck landing qualifications (DLQ); use of Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARPs); Helicopter Air-to-Air Refueling (HAAR) (MH-60s and MH-47s only); chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) helicopter operations; and night-vision goggle (NVG) flying, all at diverse geographic locations. According to CPT Federer*, “Our student validations are done by IPs [Instructor Pilots] from the line companies. The pilots doing the real thing do the final student evaluations [BMQ Check Rides]. That allows the 160th flight companies to check whether the pilots have been trained to the standard that they have come to expect.”8 After completing ‘Green Platoon,’ SOATB graduates report for duty with their respective 160th flight units.

MH-60 pilots train on Helicopter Air-to-Air Refueling (HAAR) during the thirteen-day Mission Tasks phase of the MH-60 Basic Mission Qualification (BMQ) Course, Company B, SOATB.
MH-60 pilots train on Helicopter Air-to-Air Refueling (HAAR) during the thirteen-day Mission Tasks phase of the MH-60 Basic Mission Qualification (BMQ) Course, Company B, SOATB.
MH-6 pilots have fourteen days of Desert/Mountain training while assigned to Company B, SOATB.
MH-6 pilots have fourteen days of Desert/Mountain training while assigned to Company B, SOATB.
MH-47 pilots have twelve days of Overwater training while assigned to Company B, SOATB. Deck landing qualification (DLQ) is part of this phase.
MH-47 pilots have twelve days of Overwater training while assigned to Company B, SOATB. Deck landing qualification (DLQ) is part of this phase.
An MH-47 conducts HAAR at night. To prepare for their real-world 160th SOAR missions, aviation students attending their BMQ courses in Company B, SOATB, must achieve proficiency in the use of Night-Vision Goggles (NVGs).
An MH-47 conducts HAAR at night. To prepare for their real-world 160th SOAR missions, aviation students attending their BMQ courses in Company B, SOATB, must achieve proficiency in the use of Night-Vision Goggles (NVGs).

Company B, SOATB offers additional POIs to 160th officers wishing to change airframes. They can take the 20-day MH-6 Advanced Qualification Course (AQC) or the 25-day MH-47 AQC. A/MH-6 ‘Little Bird’ pilots in A and B Companies, 1/160th SOAR can take the 10-day Maintenance Test Pilot (MTP) course and/or the 23-day Instructor Pilot course for those airframes (because the 160th is the only unit in the Army with those helicopters). 160th Flight Surgeons, Physician Assistants (PAs), and enlisted medical personnel can take the Special Operations Aviation Medical Indoctrination Course (SOAMIC). Established in 2011, SOAMIC was developed by 160th flight medical personnel who “were asked to focus on their areas of expertise and produce a learning tool that conveyed their lessons learned and institutional knowledge.”9 Before attending SOAMIC, trainees must have completed Airborne School, the Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) Course, ‘Green Platoon,’ SERE training, water survival training, and basic fast rope qualification. Fifty days of SOAMIC training cover such topics as medical mission planning; proper wear and use of flight-approved clothing, boots, armor, helmets, and other equipment designed to prevent injury or harm, also known as aviation life support equipment (ALSE); treatment under CBRN conditions and using NVGs; and casualty hoist procedures.

As evidenced by the rigorous SOA recruiting, assessment, and training process, officers (aviators and non-aviators) wishing to serve in the 160th SOAR are held to the highest standards of excellence. Throughout these stages, serving and former/retired Night Stalkers imbue newcomers with the traditions and ethos that has come to characterize U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation. Only those most qualified, willing, and able to perform the unique and dangerous 160th SOAR mission sets are admitted into the Regiment. Dedication to preserving the Night Stalker culture of excellence is evidenced by the fact that candidates are closely assessed before they can begin training; that Combat Skills instructors must attend ‘Green Platoon’ twice to maintain high standards of training; that operational pilots make the determination as to whether an officer meets line company standards; and that SOATB employs dozens of former/retired Night Stalkers as contractor trainers. Company A, SOATB commander CPT Kellie A. McCarthy* succinctly summarized her motivation and the mission of the training battalion: “I love this regiment, I love what it does, and I want to do my part to make the best Night Stalkers.”10

Continued on PART II: Enlisted ‘Green Platoon’

ENDNOTES

  1. Hereafter, the term ‘officer’ denotes both commissioned and warrant officers, unless otherwise specified. [return]
  2. CW4 Benson S. Arts*, SORB, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 8 April 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  3. 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. 160th SOAR, Power Point Presentation, “Recruiting the Right People,” 7 December 2015, 3, copy in USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  5. Dunbar* interview, 26 January 2016; 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.” Officer candidates must complete SERE before attending Green Platoon. Most aviation candidates have already completed SERE during training at Fort Rucker. Those who have not yet completed it must arrange to do so at Fort Rucker or Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  6. “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; CPT Kelly A. McCarthy* and 1SG Michael W. Norvell*, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 26 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  7. “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 Jason T. Setler*, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 27 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  8. “B Company Training”; Federer* interview, 27 January 2016. [return]
  9. “B Company Training”; 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]
  10. McCarthy* interview, 26 January 2016. [return]