U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC)
| United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) | |
|---|---|
USASOAC shoulder sleeve insignia
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| Active | 25 March 2011 – present |
| Country |
 United States of America
|
| Allegiance | Constitution of the United States |
| Branch |
 United States Army
|
| Type | Special Operations |
| Role | Organizes, mans, trains, resources and equips U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) units to provide responsive, ARSOA support to special operations forces, and is the USASOC aviation staff proponent |
| Size | About 3,000 soldiers and more than 200 aircraft |
| Part of |
 United States Special Operations Command United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Bragg, North Carolina |
| Motto(s) | “Volare Optimos” (To Fly the Best) |
| Engagements |
Operation Urgent Fury Operation Prime Chance Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Storm Operation Gothic Serpent Operation Uphold Democracy Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation New Dawn |
| Website | Official Website |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
BG John R. Evans |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |
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| Unit beret flash |
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| Combat service identification badge |
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The United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) provides command and control, executive oversight, and resourcing of U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) aviation assets and units in support of national security objectives. USASOAC is responsible for service and component interface; training, doctrine,and proponency for Army SOA; system integration and fleet modernization; aviation resource management; material readiness; program management; and ASCC oversight. USASOAC was established in March 2011 consisting of 135 headquarters soldiers and subordinate units totaling more than 3,300 personnel, include the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), the USASOC Flight Company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion, the Systems Integration Management Office, and the Technology Application Projects Office. The first commander of USASOAC was Brig Gen.Clayton M.Hutmacher.
As reported on the USASOC official website:
Special operations aviation traces its modern roots back to the early 1960s and the formation of Special Warfare Aviation Detachments (SWAD) and finally a task organized helicopter company as Army Special Forces prepared for Vietnam.
The 22nd SWAD activated in March 1962 at Fort Bragg, N.C: In June 1962 the unit was reorganized and redesignated as 22nd Aviation Detachment (Special Forces). The unit supported 5th Special Forces Group (SFG), 7th SFG, U.S. Army Special Warfare School, and the 1st and 13th Psychological Warfare Battalions. The detachment was inactivated in December 1963. The 23rd SWAD (Surveillance) organized in July 1962 and flew the OV-1. The unit deployed to the Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam in September 1962 to support I Corps and Special Forces with photographic intelligence.
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Wikipedia