Airborne Almighty: Examining the Role of Static Line Jumps in Army Special Operations
Articles
Fri, 02/04/2022 - 7:10am
By Meg Tucker
I wish I could say an airborne operation is as exciting now as it was when I got my wings as a new Captain. Sadly, a familiar tedium has slowly replaced the thrill that once came with jump day. Today, my soldiers and I wait tentatively, crammed into the long benches that run the length of a dusty, oversized shoebox known as a jump shed. Jump masters are finalizing pre-jump checks. I have not seen my detachment sergeant, my right-hand man, in a few days. He has been performing jump master duties, and now darts around making final preparations. They ensure parachutes are properly packed, the harnesses tightly cinched to our bodies and static lines routed to avoid any unplanned midair amputations. It’s a comforting thought, really. We have sat for over an hour in this rigged-up configuration, fighting the urge to use the facilities because doffing equipment is not an option.
I shudder imagining how many hours the 82nd Airborne soldiers, whose jump operations are much larger than ours, must spend practicing bladder Zen. We did pre-jump rehearsals in a gaggle on the Battalion lawn yesterday, awkwardly pantomimed the maneuver to escape power line entanglement, and got the don’t-let-your-reserve-chute-rip-you-out-the-door brief for the umpteenth time. Stuck in the shed for now, I attempt to distract myself with a mental list of the million things I must do tomorrow, as today’s a wash. When we’re through, we will have jumped away a minimum of 400-man hours that could have been applied to training operational skills we actually use. Many times before, while sitting and waiting to jump, I’ve wondered if it was all worth it. After giving this question much thought, investigation and discussion with peers, my answer is a firm and confident “No.”
It is time for U.S. Army special operations forces to redirect effort and resources away from airborne operations toward more urgent training needs in the 2021 battlespace.[1] As an innovative organization, Army SOF is well-suited to lead in modernization, economizing assets and honing the most relevant capabilities. What better time than now to reexamine how SOF applies its resources, especially as the Department of Defense pivots to focus on Cold War 2.0
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/airborne-almighty-examining-role-static-line-jumps-army-special-operations
