The Army has had many decisive victories in its application of airmobile and air assault assets throughout history. The 1953 " 1957 Army Chief of Operations James M. Galvin (LTG), had a vision of going to combat with an innovative concept of the evolution of airmobile artillery (Leonard, 1999). In the mid-1950s, Fort Rucker and combatant commanders conceptualized and experimented with attaching guns and rockets to helicopters as a means of enabling air mobility assets as a force multiplier. This concept was later labeled "Calvary, and I don't mean horses! " (Leonard, 1999). In the beginning stages of aviation, the Department of the Army activated an organization, the 11th Air Assault (AA) Division (Div.) test these new concepts and ideas for combat operations. In this narrative, we will discuss the integration of these combat assets as a force multiplier, the historical use of helicopters during combat operations, and, lastly, the transformation of Army Reserve aviation.
Air Mobility Assets as a Force Multiplier.
The first plan to utilize air mobility in the Vietnam War was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, wherein the French believed that air resupply could maintain a garrison indefinitely. The terrain and geography led to failure. The French gained experience with airmobile assault in Algeria between 1954 and 1962 with American helicopters. The first airmobile assaults were small, but modern airmobile assault are the size of a battalion. Later, helicopters became useful to resupply and assist with casualty evacuation missions (CASEVAC) or medical evacuation (MEDEVAC). During the Vietnam War, the 11th Aviation Group and air mobility assets showed the great advantage of mobility and the short response time of assault helicopters, by winning major battles with them. .
The Integration of Air Mobility.
During the Vietnam War, leaders observed the integration of air mobility assets as a force multiplier.