XBradTC

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XBradTC

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Navy Decommissions SEAL Support Helicopters | FighterSweep

In a repeat of history, the US Navy is poised to re-learn hard lessons from the past. The Department of the Navy has recently ordered the only two naval helicopter squadrons dedicated to Special Warfare support, HSC-84 and HSC-85, to prepare for decommissioning by the end of FY-15 (September 30, 2015). via Navy Decommissions SEAL…

In a repeat of history, the US Navy is poised to re-learn hard lessons from the past. The Department of the Navy has recently ordered the only two naval helicopter squadrons dedicated to Special Warfare support, HSC-84 and HSC-85, to prepare for decommissioning by the end of FY-15 (September 30, 2015).

via Navy Decommissions SEAL Support Helicopters | FighterSweep.

The author presents a well reasoned argument for keeping the SOF tasked squadrons in the fleet.

On the other hand, there’s no money. The Navy only has so much money to support squadrons, and these aren’t event their squadrons, really.

Special Operations Command might consist of people who are legally members of one service or another, but as a practical matter, since SOCOM has its own budget, it is virtually a separate service, from an operational point of view.

And SOCOM does pony up a lot of money for its own helicopters, specifically the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. But that unit is already heavily overtasked.

But SOCOM wasn’t willing to pony up the money to pay for the two HSC squadrons. They too have money issues.

And so, dedicated rotary wing support for Naval Special Warfare will go away. Again.

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  1. Hamilcar Barca (@Hannibull86)

    Xbrad…Come on man…. HSC 84/85 have been great supporters to SOF.

    SOCOM has repeatedly gone to the CNO over the last five years to sustain both units and have the Navy maintain a capability to support not only Naval Special Warfare but the SOF community as a whole.

    But don’t saddle SOCOM with failing to cultivate an opportunity or fix the service. Congress is first to blame – then the service for failing to support NSW.

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  2. xbradtc

    Of course they’ve been great supporters of SOF. That’s their job. The problem is, they’re not SOCOM, but NavAir. NavAir has been told in the past by SecDef to suck it up and pay for them, like it or not. But this time, SecDef basically said no. And since neither NavAir nor SOCOM has the money to pay for them, they are getting shut down. I’m not laying blame on either NavAir or SOCOM.

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