Cluster Operations in the 128th Aviation Brigade

摘要

As 2020 ended, the 128th Aviation Brigade postured itself to conduct Holiday Block Leave for all the trainees and cadre as it does every year. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this mission posed new challenges to leaders within the Brigade. The commander's goal from the beginning was to maximize Soldier participation in this leave period and to do so as safely as possible, utilizing a series of COVID-19 mitigation strategies at every juncture. The most critical strategy in this was the creation of student "clusters" upon return from Holiday Block Leave which would help re-establish a safe environment for the hundreds of trainees who operate throughout the Brigade daily. While 1st Battalion, 222nd Aviation Regiment, was responsible for planning and executing the significant Holiday Block Leave movements for students, it fell to 1st and 2nd Battalions, 210th Aviation Regiment, to manage the clustering operations and re-establish the Brigade's safe training environment for all personnel.