JBLM Kiowa helicopter squadron to be inactivated

[unhappycamper]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/05/16/3199171/jblm-kiowa-helicopter-squadron.html?sp=/99/296/331/354/



OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter takes off behind a Stryker combat vehicle during training at the Yakima Training Center. Kiowas were used for observation and reconnaissance.

JBLM Kiowa helicopter squadron to be inactivated
By ADAM ASHTON
Staff writer
May 16, 2014

The Army’s postwar downsizing will take another bite out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord this year, as a 400-soldier helicopter squadron will be shut down.

The plan to inactivate the Kiowa helicopters and crews of the 4th Attack Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment became inevitable when Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced in February a proposal to phase out the Army’s entire Kiowa fleet.

Lawmakers in the the U.S. House did not challenge Hagel’s proposal last week when they considered the 2015 defense budget, so the plan is moving forward.

JBLM’s Kiowa squadron is among the first in line to close down on a five-year schedule. The Kiowa, the smallest helicopter in the Army, is used for scouting and observation duty and light-attack combat missions.