Risk Management Magazine

Feedback from Army Aviation’s safety stand-down day this summer noted an increase in training task complexity in support of large-scale combat operations and challenges in training prioritization. These two factors combined could lead to an increase in levels of operational risk as training complexity increases without a corresponding increase in train-up and recovery/retrain time.

Combat outposts on mountain pinnacles are used for observation points and located throughout the post’s training area. They usually are comprised of plywood shacks constructed from MRE boxes, sandbags and concertina wire. All of them present the potential for foreign object damage (FOD) and landing area hazards.

When winter arrives, the days get shorter, the nights get longer and they both get much colder. However, this does not keep the Army from training. Field training exercises are a reality for every unit, no matter how cold it is.