Talk:166th Aviation Brigade (United States)/GA2

GA Reassessment
The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the reassessment.''

Inaccuracies
Bolded info is the referenced inaccuracy

1-337th Info
The 1st Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment is the brigade's primary assault helicopter training unit, specializing in fast-attack helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache.[2] The 2nd Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment is the brigade's primary utility, lift, and air ambulance helicopter training unit, specializing in utility helicopters such as the UH-60 Black Hawk and the CH-47 Chinook.[3] The 1st Battalion, 337th Regiment (Training Support) specializes in mobilization and de-mobilization for airborne units.[4] The remaining battalions, including the 1st Battalion, 351st Regiment (Training Support), 3rd Battalion, 382nd Regiment (Logistics Support), and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 383rd Regiment (Combat Support/Combat Sustainment Support) specialize in areas of general instruction about other aspects of mobilization, conducting exercises, and logistics management.[1]

While not technically inaccurate, it's vague and technically applies to all of the brigade's aviation support battalions. The 1-337th specializes in advanced multi-ship gunnery training and downed aircraft rescue training for air crews, having pioneered the training based on after action reviews and its trainers' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it also conducts a full spectrum mobilization of battalion-sized aviation elements, such as its recently-completed mobilization of the 1-137th Assault Helicopter Battalion (an Ohio National Guard unit attached to but geographically isolated and with a staggered deployment period from the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade).
 * If it's not false then it's not inaccurate. - Ed! (talk) (Hall of Fame)  18:59, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

1-351st Info
The 1st Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment is the brigade's primary assault helicopter training unit, specializing in fast-attack helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache.[2] The 2nd Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment is the brigade's primary utility, lift, and air ambulance helicopter training unit, specializing in utility helicopters such as the UH-60 Black Hawk and the CH-47 Chinook.[3] The 1st Battalion, 337th Regiment (Training Support) specializes in mobilization and de-mobilization for airborne units.[4] The remaining battalions, including the 1st Battalion, 351st Regiment (Training Support), 3rd Battalion, 382nd Regiment (Logistics Support), and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 383rd Regiment (Combat Support/Combat Sustainment Support) specialize in areas of general instruction about other aspects of mobilization, conducting exercises, and logistics management.[1]

The 1-351st Aviation Battalion (TS) is the same as the other aviation battalions - it conducts aviation mobilization missions, (1, 2 and 3-383 TSBns do these things and the 3-382nd LSB provides real-world logistical support to the brigade and all of its battalions). It is responsible for training the 28th CAB's 1-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, which conducts MEDEVACs, Air Assaults, Troop and VIP transport, and lift services.

Robots?
'In the summer of 2008, the brigade's combat service/combat sustainment support battalions took part in equipment testing and training in Rapid City, South Dakota. It tested the Multifunction Agile Remote Control Robot IV, a route clearance robot, with the assistance of the South Dakota National Guard.[12]'

While this may be technically true, the true story is that the CS/CSS TSBns served as trainers for Operation Golden Coyote, a huge Annual Training event for CS/CSS USAR and NG units. The battalions still conduct this mission and are planning for the 2009 iteration. They also conducted River Warrior in 2006 and Desert Warrior in 2007. This story is likely a very small part of the Golden Coyote mission.

The CS/CSS battalions are not as active as in the past. It is unknown if they will be transferred to fall under a more appropriate brigade once the 166th moves to Hood. If they do not, the 2nd and 3rd battalions will likely follow through with plans to change their Table of Distributions and Allowances into training support versions of the Aviation Support Battalion, while 1st battalion will continue to provide miscellaneous CAB-centric support and conduct observation and control training over MPs, Logistics and Engineers.

Longer Training? Definitely NOT
''The bulk of the brigade spent the summer at Fort Sill, Oklahoma to train aviation assets for deploying units. In June 2008, the brigade trained the aviation assets of the 34th Infantry Division in air combat, air assault, and other tactics related to aviation. For this mission, the brigade was assisted by the 479th Field Artillery Brigade, which handled ground exercises.[13] '''As part of a new training routine, the brigade trained the 34th Infantry Division's aviation units at Fort Rucker, spending a longer time training the unit because it continued to train the brigade as it mobilized and prepared to deploy. Other units trained with the Division, but none through the entire mobilization process.[14] This process used new and never-before-used facilities to streamline training exercises. Purportedly, it gave the 166th Aviation Brigade much additional time for training, as the streamlining process made some programs more efficient, cutting time needed to prepare for them in half.[15]'

The whole point of the new methodology is the restraints set by the Department of Defense on ARNG mobilizations. ARNG Soldiers can only be mobilized for a year (I believe 400 days), including the time at a Mobilization Training Center (MTC). This means a lot of training has to be conducted in-house prior to mobilization (we simply call it pre-mobilization). During pre-mobilization, key leaders and select support staff attend the simulation training (called Aviation Training Exercise - ATX) at the Aviation Warrior Training Center at Fort Rucker under the 166th, and the units have contact with the 166th Aviation Brigade's Unit Mobilization Assistants (now known as U-LNOs but I'm unsure what it stands for other than L=Liaison). However, the real deal is the post-mobilization (as in post-start of mobilization, not post-deployment) training, where the unit spends approximately two months at the MTC (generally Fort Sill) conducting its key collective tasks, advanced multi-ship gunnery, the Mission Readiness Exercise (MRE), and the Aviation Warrior Lane Training Exercise (AWLTX, it's a downed aircraft evasion and rescue scenario).

This not only allows for a shorter duration at the MTC so the unit can maximize its time in country, but it's also proved valuable because it is geared specifically towards each unit's primary mission in the scheme of CAB operations. Most importantly, it is the most effective training for the leadership of aviation units because of its complete solution simulation of what combat aviation operations are like in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Reason for Request of reassessment
There's quite a bit of inaccuracy, and I don't have time to fix it all myself. Also, a lot of my knowledge is based on personal experience - I can't find sources I can link to yet, and the unit's website is far outdated.
 * You'll need sources. The information on the page was all cited by appropriate sources, and since most of your complaints look to be simple clarifications anyway, I'm not sure a GA reassesment was the best decision since it will take more time than simply fixing the article in the first place. - Ed! (talk) (Hall of Fame)  18:59, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

Reassessment Result
I made some changes and more will come. All in all, this is a pretty good page and I'm just too much of a perfectionist :) Smitherssoft (talk) 18:33, 11 June 2009 (UTC)