Just can't believe that don't this is saving money or combat effective. I'm really like to know the whole story behind the reason for pulling the jump status. So in testing this, 101 had no pull or say in this, from reading, DA level decision.
So does 82nd have a pathfinder unit I've never heard of. The who will fill this role or capability?
http://m.kentuckynewera.com/mobile/web/news/article_18172bfc-36c9-11e3-8c32-0019bb2963f4.html
I can't understand this either. No rhyme or reason. When I did my 300F-1 OJT at FCKY in 1983, Mikeleki, McClain (both 12th Grp) and I made some jumps with them. They also provided the cadre for the Air Assault School at that time. A last proud link with the "Airborne" heritage of the 101st Airborne. Now it's about as airborne as the 10th Mtn is a mountain division. Just a tab.
The 82nd still has a Pathfinder Plt in the 82nd CAB
To be blunt, and this is coming from an Airborne Pathfinder of the 101st Airborne Division back (1972) when it was at least a 1/3rd parachute division, the requirement for Pathfinders to be jump qualified in the traditional WWII sense of "jump into the AO in advance of the troop transports and mark LZ's / DZ's" has long since been overtaken by technology.
First of all, with respect to "marking the drop zone" for the Air Force, that has been totally assumed by the Air Force's own CCT. Even the last few airborne (parachute) operations conducted by the 101st under nominal Army Pathfinder control required USAF CCT's to be on the ground as well. We (Army Pathfinders) weren't even equipped with UHF/VHF radios, and had to do all our communications via short range FM transceivers (AN/PRC-77 and AN/VRC-46).
Second, GPS will place the transport aircraft -- fixed or rotary wing -- within 10 meters of the desired location anywhere on the surface of planet Earth. Current electronic navigation is far better than even the best Pathfinder could hope to accomplish with a lensatic compass and a 1:50,000. Google Earth, and unmanned aerial vehicles provides real time recon and surveillance of the DZ/LZ with higher resolution than anything in the dreams of WWII/Korean/Viet Nam era Pathfinders. I can look up on unclassified Google Earth the exact revetment where I brewed up a cup of coffee in Somalia in 1986, and the image is far more detailed that the highly classified KH images that we were shown before the mission. And Google Earth is geo-referenced, scaled, and gridded.
To the extent any commander wants "boots on the ground" before the main body arrives via air (whether airmobile or airborne) that is more a function of LRSD/Ranger or even SF than Pathfinders.
There is a significant budget and operational load from even a small airborne (parachute) unit: the air articles themselves, the rigger support, the USAF aircraft, training, proficiency, and yes, jump pay that adds up over time. ($150 per month for 30 soldiers x 12 months is $54,000 per year).
In fact, being Airborne qualified has long since been removed as a prerequisite to Pathfinder qualification.
"Why, back in the day, when I went through Pathfinder School (and there was only one .. at Lawson Army Airfield, Ft. Benning) and the course was 5 weeks long, and Airborne qualification (parachute) was a prerequisite, and we called Army and USAF drops of equipment and personnel..."
... yeah, I was there, and that was the old days. Like the horse cavalry, some things have to move on with the times.