| United States Army Air Assault School | |
|---|---|
United States Army Air Assault Badge |
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| Active | |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Campbell, Kentucky |
The Sabalauski Air Assault School (TSAAS) is a FORSCOM TDA unit located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Its primary task is training leaders and soldiers assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT), other US Army units and US armed services in several courses annually.
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Air Assault School qualifies soldiers to conduct airmobile and air assault helicopter operations, to include aircraft orientation, slingload operations, proper rappelling techniques and fast-rope techniques. The school itself is 10 training days and requires a 12-mile (19 km) march with rucksack in order to graduate.
The original school is located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (home of the 101st Airborne Division). There are also or have been schools at Fort Rucker, Alabama; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Hood, Texas; Camp Blanding, Florida; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Ord, California, and elsewhere. Instructors at the course are referred to as Air Assault Sergeants. It is open to both males and females. The school is composed of learning helicopter insertion techniques, rigorous training, and tedious packing lists; one missing item could cause the student to fail the school immediately.
Courses offered at the Air Assault School include: Air Assault, Pathfinder, Pre-Ranger, Rappel Master and Fast Rope Insertion/Extraction (FRIES)/Special Purpose Insertion Extraction (SPIES) Master courses. TSAAS is also home to the Division's Parachute Demonstration Team.
The 101st Airborne Division, a parachute and glider-borne unit that conducted two jumps during World War II, was converted to an Airmobile unit in 1968 in Vietnam, becoming the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). The parenthetical designation changed to Air Assault in late 1974. The Airborne tab over the unit's Screaming Eagle shoulder patch does not imply that the soldier is Airborne (parachute) qualified. Also, while a Soldier in an Airborne unit must graduate Airborne School, graduation from the Air Assault School is not required to be a Soldier in the 101st.
In 1998, a new 34-foot (10 m) tower was completed and Phase Three began to train at this site. On December 17, 1999 the new Sabalauski Air Assault School facility was dedicated and for the first time in several years all phases of instruction are conducted at one facility. Over sixty classes are run annually, training over 8,000 soldiers per year.
Air Assault School is a 10 ½ day course that teaches air assault techniques and procedures, and qualifies soldiers to wear the Air Assault Badge. [1]
Soldiers are not considered “Air Assault Students” until after successful completion of Zero Day, the first day of the course, which requires students to complete an obstacle course, two-mile (3 km) run, and an inspection of equipment prior to continuing training.
This inspection is extremely meticulous. It is conducted as soon as the soldier enters school grounds. Soldiers must have all items on the packing list each student is given. All items must be clean and serviceable (in usable condition). If a soldier is missing any item during the inspection, that soldier will not be allowed to in-process.
The obstacle course is designed to assess a student’s upper body strength, agility, endurance, confidence, and ability to perform at heights without displaying fear or distress. This test is critical in determining if a student will be able to complete Air Assault School without becoming a safety risk to themselves, instructors, or other students during the tough and demanding training events conducted throughout the course.
After successful completion of the obstacle course, students will conduct a two-mile (3 km) run. Students must complete the run in under 18:00 to receive a "GO" in the event (meaning satisfactory completion of the event). The uniform for the run is Army Combat Uniform (ACU - minus the ACU Top depending on the season in which the training cycle beings) with running shoes.
Phase One, the Combat Assault Phase, is three days long. During this phase, soldiers receive instructions on the following tasks:
Soldiers are given two tests:
Phase Two, Slingload Operations, is three days long. During the Sling Load Phase, soldiers receive instruction on various aspects of sling load operations. This includes:
Students receive hands-on training on preparation, rigging, and inspection of several certified or suitable external loads. These may include the following loads:
The soldiers will also conduct an actual hook-up of a load underneath a CH-47 or UH-60 aircraft. In this phase, soldiers are given two tests:
Phase Three, the Rappelling Phase is three days long. During this phase, soldiers receive instruction on basic ground and aircraft rappelling procedures, to include the following tasks:
Soldiers will conduct two rappels on the wall side of the school's 34-foot (10 m) tower, 9 to 12 rappels from the open side, and two additional rappels from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter hovering at 70-90 feet. All rappels are conducted with and without combat equipment. During fast rope familiarization, students conduct a controlled descent and a static hold for five seconds. Students that successfully conduct both descents from a 12-foot (3.7 m) platform then descend from the 34-foot (10 m) tower using the stack-out/rapid exit technique. Fast rope descents are conducted without combat equipment. Soldiers are tested on:
Soldiers must pass all tests to move on to the next phase and are allowed one retest per exam.
The final event is the 12-mile (19 km) foot march. Soldiers must complete the 12-mile (19 km) foot march with the prescribed uniform and equipment in three hours or less in order to graduate. The foot march is a graded task and a graduation requirement for Air Assault School.