Army aviation is modernizing for large-scale combat operations with new doctrine, changes in education and a focus on supporting the Army in a dangerous global security environment.

“The battlefields of yesteryear are different than the battlefields that we’re contemplating in the future,” Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel, Alabama, said Sept. 4 at a Hot Topic on Army aviation hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“It’s probably naïve of me to say that we’re at an inflection point, but things are changing,” Gill said, pointing to a geopolitical environment that’s “pretty dangerous.”

He cited the pacing challenge of China, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the threat of Iranian and North Korean missiles as examples of trouble brewing around the world. “You just have to feel like at some point … we’re going to find ourselves in another fight,” Gill said.

He added that the “good news is we’re going to be doing it with our allies and partners … and as part of a joint force. My sense is it’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when.”

Gill, who took command on July 26, said Army aviation will be critical to future operations as it supports the larger force. “We don’t operate alone, this isn’t Army aviation about Army aviation, this is in support of the Army, in support of the ground force,” Gill said. “It’s in support of the combined arms maneuver, and it’s in support of the joint force with our partners and allies.”

New doctrine will be published within the next few months as FM 3-04, the field manual for Army aviation, is updated to mirror the Army’s operations field manual, FM 3-0, for how to conduct large-scale combat operations in a multidomain environment, Gill said.

Professional military education will have a sharper focus on ensuring that the warrant officers who make up the bulk of Army aviators are experts in their trade. Rather than teaching them staffing and other skills that are expected of mid-grade officers, Gill said, “we really want our warrant officers focused on the tactical fight, understanding how to operate the aircraft in this domain we’ve been talking about, the multidomain environment.”

Gill also outlined a need to get back to the basics of Army aviation by producing aviators who are excellent at flying their aircraft.

“We’re producing aviators that are proficient, but they’re really focused on operating systems and less on flying the aircraft,” Gill said, explaining that feedback from the field is that more skilled aviators are needed. “We can teach them systems and operations and maintenance, but we really need them to be proficient aviators first.”