Thousands of Army Reserve soldiers are being forced to scramble for new assignments after the service abruptly ordered the dismantling of its helicopter units, a sweeping move that has caught commanders off guard and upended aviation operations across the country.
The cuts, which are set to eliminate all of the reserve's helicopter units by the end of the summer, are part of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George's broader push to modernize the force by shedding legacy formations and redirecting resources toward emerging technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence.
But the transition has left troops questioning both the pace and planning of the changes. Military.com spoke with 16 Army Reserve aviators, including commanders and senior noncommissioned officers, who expressed frustration with what they described as a chaotic and poorly communicated rollout. All requested anonymity, citing concerns about retaliation, as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
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"There was no heads-up, no briefing," said one senior noncommissioned officer. "Just an email saying aviation's going away and we need to find somewhere else to go."
News began trickling out within the aviation community's inner circle in February when Brig. Gen. Roger Deon, the head of Army Reserve Aviation Command, began meeting with commanders to give them a warning that the Pentagon had its sights on Army Reserve aviation for cuts, multiple senior officers with direct knowledge described.
The plan to cut all of the component's aviation didn't materialize until May, and that information took longer to reach the rank and file.
"That's whirlwind-fast for government work," one aviator noted, expressing frustrations with the rapid closure of units.
Some reserve aviation units are now working to find alternative roles for their pilots and full-time personnel, including potential placements with federal agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Opportunities within the National Guard or the active-duty Army are limited and often require relocation, adding another layer of complexity for service members and their families.
For junior enlisted soldiers and part-time reservists in support roles such as mechanics, crew chiefs and administrative staff, the road ahead is even more complicated. Transferring into a new unit or occupational specialty can take months of retraining, a process that can be especially burdensome for reservists balancing military obligations with full-time civilian jobs or college coursework.
"There was no time to plan," one senior reserve aviator told Military.com. "This was all put on us to just figure out; there's been no support on this."
It's unclear how many soldiers will be affected. Maj. William Allred, an Army Reserve spokesperson, declined to say, noting operational security. However, the number of soldiers in formations is routinely publicized information.
"While the soldiers in the Army Reserve Aviation Command will be impacted by the cuts, they will have the opportunity to continue their military service in other units where their skills can be utilized," Allred said in a statement to Military.com.
Army Reserve aviation as a whole includes about 4,600 soldiers, including some fixed-wing aircraft formations, though helicopter units make up the lion's share of the force, with units in California, Washington state, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey and Kentucky.
Changing components isn't easy. Parts of National Guard service may also be less attractive to reservists, some of those soldiers explained. The reserve often compensates troops for travel and hotels during their weekend duty obligations, a perk that is absent in the National Guard -- much to the chagrin of reservists who have been interviewed and are looking to switch components.
And Guard service often carries heavier demands. The component is routinely tapped for both overseas deployments and domestic missions, including disaster relief, border security and civil unrest response, duties that can sometimes be a greater burden on part-time soldiers compared to their reserve counterparts. Acquiring federal benefits is also more complicated.
The Army Reserve has not yet developed a comprehensive plan for soldiers to exit their contracts, but if they join the National Guard, they may also be required to repay generous enlistment bonuses of up to $20,000. The Army Reserve declined to comment on questions related to bonuses.
"We were told if we received a bonus, we'd have to pay it back," one enlisted soldier said.
Unlike their active-duty counterparts, reservists can't easily pivot to new units, particularly in large states or places with significant geographical gaps between units. Many people balance civilian jobs and family obligations, making relocation nearly impossible. Others have highly specialized skills -- such as air medical -- that are now disappearing.
Some units are scrambling to land spots in the National Guard, with upcoming weekend drills hosting recruiters, but that option comes with limited slots and often requires troops to sign new multi-year contracts.
"It's mostly been on our own accord, [to] find a new home, to figure it out," another soldier noted.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in both parties are growing increasingly frustrated with the Army's disjointed rollout of major force structure changes, criticizing what they see as a lack of transparency and strategic coherence.
While there's broad agreement on Capitol Hill that the service needs to modernize and move beyond a doctrinal framework that's remained largely unchanged for decades, many say the Army has failed to articulate its plans clearly.
Several Capitol Hill aides expressed concerns to Military.com that there is a perception reforms are being implemented in an ad hoc and overly hasty manner, leaving Congress in the dark.
One of the units on the chopping block is the 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, a Texas-based formation with a record of responding to domestic emergencies, including relief efforts following Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
"You've come into my house, where I was born and raised, in this county, and you're taking something away from me, and I want to know why," Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, told George and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll during a budget hearing last month.
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