Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force

by Tom Clancy

  When the load order finally comes, the troopers are lined up into what are called “chalks” (lines of paratroops assigned to each aircraft). They start checking each other’s gear (something they will do continuously until they jump), and then waddle out to their transports. Frequently, an average trooper will be carrying up to 150 lb/68.2 kg, of gear and watching them is like watching elephants march. They are loaded aboard in such a way that several platoons or companies are spread among several aircraft in a formation. Thus, the loss of any single aircraft will not wipe out a particular unit, or keep an objective from being taken. It also makes forming up after the drop easier, since different units can be placed down the length of the DZ more easily. Once loaded, the transports are quickly launched, so that others can be loaded and staged. Green Ramp holds perhaps a company or two at a time, and moving the troopers through quickly is vital to keeping the airborne assault on schedule.

  Once they are airborne, it can take up to eighteen hours for the task force to get to their targets if the flight to the target area is located somewhere like Southwest Asia. Flights to Central America might take a few hours, as was the case during the Panama operation in 1989. For the troopers, it is a decidedly unpleasant experience. The older transports like the C-130E and C-141B have fairly narrow cargo compartments, and the paratroopers sit with their legs interlocked. Facing each other in two sets of rows, they continue to check each other’s equipment, and try to get some rest. When they are about thirty minutes to target, the transport crews tighten up their formations, which each have three aircraft in an inverted V (called a “vic”) alignment. The various “vic” formations are formed into a stream, with about a mile separating each trio of transport aircraft. While in close formation, the aircraft crews use special station-keeping instruments to maintain formation and spacing so that the chances of midair collisions between paratroopers (and aircraft!) will be minimized.

  At about ten minutes prior to jump, the loadmaster and jumpmaster in the rear of each aircraft have the troopers stand up and begin to check their equipment. The jumpmaster orders the troopers to hook up the static lines from their chutes, and the jump doors on both sides of the aircraft are opened. The jumpmaster, an experienced paratrooper with special training, sticks his head out of one door and begins to look for the DZ and various local landmarks (such as lakes and roads). About this time, the heavy equipment of the airborne task force will be dropped. Virtually every airborne task force package currently on the books with the 82nd has both heavy weapons and 105mm artillery pieces included to provide a heavy firepower punch as the troopers fight their way off the DZ. Since the first few minutes of the assault will always be the time of greatest danger to the paratroops, the presence of machine guns and missiles, and the boom of friendly artillery, can do wonders for the troops’ morale and esprit as they start their fight to the objectives.

  When the DZ comes into sight of the jumpmaster, the command “Stand in the door!” is given to the rear paratrooper on each side, who then passes it up the line. When the green (“jump”) light comes on, the jumpmaster begins to order the paratroopers out the door with a loud “Go!” once every second from each door. This means that even a C-141 can unload over a hundred paratroopers in less than a minute, and transit less than a mile down the DZ. First out the door is always the senior officer, even if it is the division or airborne corps commander. The jump done, the planes bank for home, and another load of troopers, equipment, or supplies. Meanwhile, as the troopers begin to hit the ground, they immediately get their personal weapons operational, even before they have a chance to get out of their harnesses. Every member of the 82nd has been indoctrinated with the legend of the paratrooper unit, which fell into the square at Sainte Mere Eglise early on D-Day. When their C-47s overshot their assigned DZ, one whole company came down into the middle of the town, and was massacred by the German garrison as they struggled out of their chutes. Therefore, getting armed and dangerous is always the first order of business for the airborne troopers.

  Once the troopers have cleared their harnesses and gotten their gear together, they try to assemble into their assigned units. This is usually fairly easy, as they just head back up to the “top” of the DZ, where their unit leaders should be waiting. Once this is done, the next thing that has to be done is to make sure that the DZ is secure and defended. From there, the troopers immediately move out to their objectives. Even if the drop has gone poorly and the task force is scattered, it is expected that LGOPs will form up, protect the DZ, and drive to the objective no matter what the cost. As soon as the objectives are taken, the airborne battle transitions to the “hold until relieved” phase. Though airborne commanders would tell you that they intend to keep attacking whenever possible, they are realists. Once the objectives have been taken, it only makes good sense to insure that you keep what you have paid in blood to take. In any case, the job of doing the heavy work in the crisis must necessarily pass to units with better logistical capabilities and more “teeth” than what can be dropped out of airplanes. The relieving units can come from many places. They may be Marines, coming ashore from an amphibious unit, or flying in to meet up with equipment in a port from one of the MPSRONs. Alternatively, the follow-on forces might be one of the light infantry divisions, flown on AMC transports. It might even be the 82nd’s sister division in the XVIII Airborne Corps, the legendary “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st Air Assault Division. Whoever it is, though, it will be in the interests of all to get the airborne forces relieved and back to Fort Bragg as soon as practical. The 82nd is the only division-sized airborne unit in the U.S. military, and there is no backup. Therefore, look for the National Command Authorities to do in the future what they have done in the past: return the 82nd as quickly as it can be relieved. The 82nd is that valuable.

  Now I want to take you on a tour of the 82nd Airborne. Its equipment, people, roles, and missions. Along the way, we’re going to introduce you to some of the fine people that make this one of America’s premier crisis-response units. You’ll also get to know something about what it takes to become an airborne trooper, and to serve in the eighteen-week cycle that dominates the lives of the 82nd’s personnel. Most of all, you will be getting to know one of the most heavily tasked military units in recent U.S. history. If America has gone there, the 82nd has usually been leading the way. Into Grenada during Urgent Fury. Helping invade Panama during Just Cause. Defending Saudi Arabia in 1990 as part of Desert Shield, and attacking into Iraq during Desert Storm. Most recently, they took part in the near-invasion and subsequent peacekeeping mission in Haiti. The 82nd was there for all of these, and will be the country’s spearhead in the future.

  Dragon Leader: An Interview with Lieutenant General John M. Keane, USA

  At Fort Bragg, North Carolina, there is a beautiful old building that is a study in contrasts. It looks like a turn-of-the-century mansion, surrounded by carefully trimmed lawns, hedges, and flower beds, and is surrounded by the homes of the senior officers on post. Then you notice what is out of place. A small forest of antennae seems to grow out of the roof, and enough satellite dishes to make Ted Turner envious are scattered nearby. You might even guess that this is someplace that is plugged in to watch the world. If so, you would be more correct than you could ever know. That is because you have just found the headquarters building of the U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, America’s busiest combat unit.

  Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where it shares the post with the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps’ various units have had a piece of almost every major military operation since its creation just after the Normandy invasion in 1944. Back then, the corps was commanded by the legendary Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway. It was composed of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and was getting ready for a shot at destiny in the polder country of Holland and the frosty forests of the Ardennes. Today, XVIII Airborne Corps is composed of four full divisions, and has over forty percent of the Army’s total combat streng
th on tap. Each of the four divisions (the 3rd Mechanized Infantry, 10th Mountain, 82nd Airborne, and 101st Air Assault) is different, and this diversity is as intriguing as the overall mission of the corps itself: to be America’s crisis response force in readiness.

  Much like the Navy/Marine MEU (SOC)s, the units of XVIII Airborne Corps are designed to rapidly intervene in a crisis anywhere in the world that American military force is required. The difference is that unlike the MEU (SOC)s, which are forward-deployed aboard Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) and have to be rotated every few months, the units of XVIII Airborne Corps are home-based in the United States, and designed for rapid deployment overseas.

  This matter of continental U.S. basing has both pluses and minuses for the units of the corps. It means that they can be division-sized forces with real mass and combat power behind them, unlike the battalion-sized MEU (SOC)s. This also means that they are, man-for-man, cheaper to operate and maintain compared to forward-deployed or sea-based units. The downside of home basing is fairly obvious, though: The corps is here in America when a crisis begins overseas. To get around this, each of the units has been either designed for rapid deployment overseas, or given special arrangements with the units of the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) for the necessary resources to make them mobile in a crisis. At one extreme, this includes the 82nd Airborne Division being able to put a full combat-ready battalion into the air for delivery anywhere in the world in less than eighteen hours. On the other end of the spectrum is the mighty 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division, which has priority with the Navy’s fleet of fast sealift ships, and can put a heavy armored brigade anywhere with a port within two to three weeks. Deployability is the name of the game for the soldiers of XVIII Airborne Corps, and they have worked hard to make the game winnable for America. This deployability has made them the busiest collection of units in the U.S. military, especially since the end of the Vietnam War. Their list of battle streamers includes almost every action fought by U.S. forces since that time. Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, and Haiti were all actions which were led by XVIII Airborne Corps.

  If you drive down I-95 into the beautiful pine forests and sand hills of North Carolina, you eventually find the town of Fayetteville. This quiet Southern town is the bedroom community that sits outside the busiest Army base in America. As you enter the post, the history of the place washes over you as soon as you look at the street signs. Names like Bastogne, Normandy, and Nijmegen flash at you, all names of classic airborne actions.

  Near the center of the post complex is the XVIII Airborne Corps headquarters. As you enter the security section of the headquarters building, you are struck by the image of the corps badge: a powerful blue dragon on a white background. It is a beautiful insignia, and one worthy of and appropriate for the collection of units under the corps’ command. Up on the second floor is the commanding general’s warm paneled office, which reeks of the six decades of service XVIII Airborne Corps has rendered to the country and the world. Battle streamers hang in the dozens from the flag-pole in the corner, and there is a feeling of power in the room. This is further enhanced by the reputations of some of the men who have occupied the office. Recent commanders have included General Gary Luck, who took the Corps to the Persian Gulf in 1990, and then fought it there in 1991. The last commander, General Hugh Shelton, currently commands the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB, Florida, where he controls the nation’s force of “snake eaters.” Today, though, the post of XVIII Airborne Corps commander is occupied by a man who is making his own mark on this office, Lieutenant General John M. Keane.

  John Keane is a strong man, over six feet tall. But don’t let the physical attributes of this powerful man confuse you. A career paratrooper and infantryman, he has spent the bulk of his life within the units of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Let’s meet him.

  Lieutenant General John Keane, USA. General Keane is the commander of the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps.

  OFFICIAL U.S. ARMY PHOTO

  Tom Clancy: Could you please tell us a little about your background and Army career?

  General Keane: I grew up in New York City, right in midtown Manhattan. Not many people think of Manhattan as a place to live. I was born and grew up there, as did my wife. I attended Fordham University and graduated in 1966. While at the University, I joined the Army ROTC [Reserve Officer Training Corps] program.

  Tom Clancy: What made you want to choose the military as a career?

  General Keane: At Fordham, I was exposed early to the ROTC program, and I just liked the people who were in it. I was in the Pershing Rifles, which was a military fraternity, and liked the people who were part of it. Perhaps the deciding factor was that most of the people involved in the military programs at Fordham seemed to me a little bit more mature and had a better sense of direction than the average college student that I was dealing with. We also had a number of students who had returned to school while in the military and had some very good things to say about it. So I stayed with it, and came into my first unit, the 82nd Airborne Division, in 1966. Then I was assigned to the 101st Airborne.

  Tom Clancy: You seem to have spent much of your career around XVIII Airborne Corps. Is that a fair statement?

  General Keane: In terms of units in the [XVIII Airborne] corps, I guess I’ve had ten or twelve different types of jobs and assignments with it. I started with a platoon in the 82nd, then was a platoon leader and company commander in the 101st in Vietnam, and a brigade commander and chief of staff with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. Later I was chief of staff and [had] assorted other jobs here at XVIII Airborne Corps for Gary Luck when he commanded [post-Desert Storm], and finally [was] division commander of the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for thirty-three months. That’s three of the four divisions in the corps, and that experience has been very valuable to me. It gives me an inside perspective on the capabilities of those different organizations, as well as a certain comfort that I might not have had I not been a part of them at one time.

  Tom Clancy: What drew you toward the airborne career track when you came into the Army?

  General Keane: When I joined the Army, the airborne were, not too surprisingly, our [countryʼs] elite soldiers, with a reputation for outstanding non-commissioned officers [NCOs], a high standard of discipline, and a lot of esprit and motivation. I knew that I wanted to be an infantry officer, so I like to think that I was quite naturally attracted to the airborne as a result of all that.

  Like many other young Army officers of his time, Jack Keane got his baptism in combat in the cauldron of Vietnam. Assigned as a junior officer to the 2nd Battalion/502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, he saw a somewhat different war from that of other young officers. Unlike so many of them, he learned some positive lessons in the battles of Vietnam.

  Tom Clancy: What was life as a young officer like for you in the Army?

  General Keane: To be with the 101st in Vietnam, I have to say that our soldiers, our leaders, and our NCOs were all committed to the mission ... we were all in it together. We had a sense of duty, and were very much a part of what we were doing. We had a sense of pride associated with our actions, and we knew that we were doing a pretty good job. That organization [the 101st] was feared by the enemy, and I don’t remember a single discipline problem that I had with a soldier, other than one guy who kept falling asleep at night on his position. Quite frankly, the other soldiers in his unit just took care of that, because he was threatening their lives as well as his own. They got with him and made it clear in no uncertain terms that he had to get with it and that he was letting them down. That was the kind of organization that we had. The 101st’s soldiers were disciplined and they responded to our orders very well.

  Tom Clancy: What lessons did you bring out of your personal Vietnam experience that are important to you today?

  General Keane: A number of things actually. Number one is the value of our force of NCOs in m
aintaining our high standards and being responsible for the training and discipline of our soldiers. Another is that leaders have to lead from the front, junior leaders particularly. Senior leaders as well on occasion have to demonstrate their capacity to share in the physical dangers that are faced by their soldiers. That was the kind of organization that I was around at the time of Vietnam.

  In addition, I became a training zealot as a result of Vietnam. I don’t think that we were as well trained as we could have and should have been. I found myself, as a young officer, training an organization while it was in combat. Putting out security and practicing various techniques and procedures while I was in a combat zone. Part of that was driven by the flawed policy of individual personnel replacement. It ended up causing too much turbulence in our organizations with people coming and going all the time. It was also compounded by the one-year tour of duty versus a long-term personnel commitment.8 As a result, some of the personnel decisions and lessons stayed with me. Another thing is that from a policy perspective, you need to set specific goals and objectives, and then go after those goals and objectives. Also, make sure that these goals are clear so the American people know what they are. Present those goals and objectives to them, get their support, use overwhelming combat power, and follow the mission to completion.