Stand-To!- Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site- Jan. 9, 2009

[stand-to at www.lists.army.mil]

Edition: Fri, January 09, 2009
FOCUS Submission Guidelines
Stand-To Fact Sheet
Rich-text Version
SENIOR LEADERS ARE SAYING
"We will work to responsibly end the war in Iraq, defeat al-Qaida and  
the Taliban and renew America’s strength and standing in the world. I  
am honored that they have joined me in this mission, and I trust that  
they will serve the American people well."

- President-Elect Barack Obama, speaking about the nominated top  
defense officials

Obama to nominate deputy secretary, three other top defense officials
TODAY'S FOCUS
Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (WAATS)
What is it?

The WAATS is used to train aviators by giving them the skills needed  
to defend our nation.

As directed by National Guard Bureau (NGB), Training and Doctrine  
Command, and Joint Force Headquarters- Ariz. the mission of WAATS is  
to facilitate aviation training at Silverbell Army Heliport, Marana,  
Ariz., in order to improve the overall aviation readiness of our  
active- and reserve- component Soldiers and aviators from several  
multinational partner nations. All formal courses taught at WAATS are  
TRADOC-approved. The United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence  
at Fort Rucker, Ala., provides certification, quality control and  
standardization for the courses taught at the WAATS.
What has the ARNG done?

The WAATS training site was originally designed to train unique  
skills to Army National Guard (ARNG) Soldiers. Although a field  
operating agency for the NGB; the WAATS is operated by the Arizona ARNG.
What continued efforts does the ARNG have planned for the future?

The ARNG and the WAATS will continue offering AH-64A (Apache) and  
OH-58 A/C (Kiowa) courses including Aviator and Instructor Pilot  
Qualification and Maintenance Test Pilot Qualification. The WAATS  
also provides a variety of enlisted courses including: Aviation  
Operations Specialist, Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer  
Courses, and Helicopter Repairman. Beginning in January FY09, WAATS  
will provide training for the AH-64D (Longbow) including both Aviator  
and Instructor Pilot Qualifications. This will be the first time that  
the WAATS has been given authority by Fort Rucker, Ala. to teach a  
modernized aircraft course—an important development for ARNG  
Aviation. In the future, WAATS will provide New Equipment Training  
for the Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System.
Why is this important to the Army?

The WAATS provides the ARNG and the Army the flexibility to both  
complement and supplement the institutional training conducted at  
Fort Rucker, Ala.; ultimately providing additional trained and ready  
crewmembers and maintenance personnel to support both current and  
future combat operations. The abundance of available airspace at  
WAATS allows for realistic aerial gunnery training in both desert and  
mountainous conditions. This versatile Fort Rucker, AL, site is one  
of the Army’s premier aviation training locations.
Resources:

ARNG Web site
INFORMATION YOU CAN USE
• 2008 Strategic Communication Guide - Read the 2008 Army Strategic  
Communication Guide for key messages and updates

• Strategic Communication Coordination Group (SCCG) Workspace

• Army Public Affairs Portal

• Stories of Valor

• Speaker's Toolkit

• Information Papers with " 2008 Army Posture Statement"

A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT
The Army Community Relations Calendar
Blogger's Roundtable

CALENDAR
2009: Year of the NCO
January 2009: National Eye Care Month
Jan. 20, 2009: Presidential Inauguration

SOCIAL NETWORKING
Army Media Player
Flickr: Army images
YouTube: Army videos
Twitter: Army updates
del.icio.us: Army links
NEWS ABOUT THE ARMY
Related blogs under What’s being said in Blogs: Casey apologizes for  
‘John Doe’ letter (AT)
Indian army plans future operations with U.S. (ARNews)
Commander connects online with Soldiers, families spread around the  
world (ARNews)
Technology prepares NATO Soldiers in Northern Europe (ARNews)
Army aviation working harder, smarter (ARNews)
WAR ON TERROR NEWS
Major push is needed to save Afghanistan, general says (NYT)
Task force: Nukes get scant Pentagon focus (AJC)
Lack of rewards worries Iraqis (S&S)
OF INTEREST
For one night, GIs in Iraq get a taste of home: Football and beer (WP)
Trading a life in Vegas to speak for troops in Afghanistan (CSM)
Obama selects 4 more senior defense officials (WP)
Pentagon drifting from nuclear deterrence, report says (LAT)
Portland police recruiters to Soldiers: We want you! (PN)
WORLD VIEW
Bombs hit Gaza as U.N. urges truce (BBC | Story)
Pakistan al-Qaeda leaders 'killed' (AJ | Story)
Israel bombed Gaza 'safe' house full off evacuees, says U.N. (LDT |  
Story)
Opinion: Why India must be patient with its former ‘best enemy’  
Pakistan (TOI | Story)
WHAT'S BEING SAID IN BLOGS
A sincere apology and effort (BF)
Army apologizes for John Doe letters to Gold Star families (ABC)
War is boring: U.S. wages first battles in new generation of war (WPR)
Where are the true warfighters? (BH)
Humor in uniform (SBz)
Virtual parents: Oh, the possibilities.... (SBz)
External Links Disclaimer
Stand-To! Home | Subscribe/Unsubscribe to Stand-To! | Send Feedback |  
Privacy & Security
External Links Disclaimer - The appearance of hyperlinks to external  
sites does not constitute endorsement by the Department of the U.S.  
Army of the linked web site or the information, products or services  
contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as  
military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation sites, the  
Department of the U.S. Army does not exercise any editorial control  
over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are  
provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD web site.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.lists.army.mil/pipermail/stand-to/attachments/20090109/e7784f70/attachment-0001.html