CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. \u2014 Thirty New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 369th Division Sustainment Brigade teamed up with Army aviators to practice moving mobile field kitchens and rations by helicopter during annual training 2026, known as Operation Sustain Thunder.<\/p>\n
The training exercise, conducted in partnership with air crews from Bravo Company, 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment, focused on rigging and airlifting rolling vehicles and bulk supplies into simulated remote battle zones.<\/p>\n
Equipment hitched beneath transport helicopters included mobile assault kitchens, containerized food units, and pallets of field rations to replicate delivering hot meals to an isolated infantry company in contested territory.
\nThe exercise represented a major training milestone for the historic brigade, commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters. It marked the first dedicated sling-load training and live air-delivery mission conducted in the unit’s history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis operation required deliberate planning and close synchronization across multiple teams,\u201d said Staff Sgt. Ethan Li, the brigade’s sling load noncommissioned officer in charge. \u201cThe value of training with aviation is that it expands our supply delivery options.\u201d<\/p>\n
Li added that ground routes cannot always be counted on in modern conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn a modern battlefield, road networks can be blocked, damaged, or ambushed,\u201d Li noted. \u201cMoving supplies by air gives commanders another way to place mobile kitchens and critical supplies exactly where troops need them most.\u201d<\/p>\n
The aerial deliveries were coordinated with Capt. David Martin, commander of the 1501st Quartermaster Company, a dedicated field feeding company. The company’s culinary specialists worked alongside the flight crews to prepare heavy kitchen trailers and supply pallets for rapid flight.
\n\u201cThis tactical air movement provided an invaluable, hands-on training opportunity for our Soldiers,\u201d Martin said.
\nMartin added that aerial delivery proves how logistics units must maneuver in hostile combat conditions.
\n\u201cIt allowed them to witness the full capabilities of our assault kitchens and demonstrated exactly how we adapt on the battlefield to sustain the warfighter,\u201d Martin noted.<\/p>\n
Rigging tactical equipment beneath hovering helicopters required exacting technical precision.<\/p>\n
Ground crews spent days calculating vehicle weights, inspecting heavy-duty nylon straps and metal connection rings, and rehearsing ground safety procedures before connecting live aircraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cRigging a sling load is a deliberate, standards-based process,\u201d Li said. \u201cWhen we are moving heavy trailers or rolling equipment, attention to detail becomes even more important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Li added that nothing can be left to chance during flight-line rigging.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ground team must make sure everything is secured so nothing shifts in flight,\u201d Li noted. \u201cIf there is any discrepancy, we stop the process, fix the issue, and inspect the load again.\u201d<\/p>\n
To guarantee absolute safety, ground teams conducted repetitive, hands-on checks of every apex fitting, clevis hook, and tie-down chain while rehearsing static-electricity grounding procedures beneath mock hookups, he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafety always comes first,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n
Li added that rigorous discipline on the ground protects air crews and Soldiers alike.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose details protect the ground crew, the flight crew, and the equipment being delivered,\u201d Li noted.<\/p>\n
Before hooking up equipment to hovering helicopters, Soldiers completed a week-long classroom course followed by hands-on practice. The program was designed to give junior Soldiers direct experience working safely beneath the powerful rotor wash of military aircraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraining junior Soldiers begins with explaining the purpose behind each step, not just having them memorize a checklist,\u201d Li said. \u201cWe demonstrate the task, supervise them as they perform it, and correct deficiencies immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Li added that every safety check serves a critical operational purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery strap, connection, and safety check has a purpose,\u201d Li explained.<\/p>\n
By qualifying 30 sustainment Soldiers in aerial delivery operations, the brigade established a vital capability that can support New York National Guard elements during overseas deployments or during domestic emergency relief operations across New York state, Li noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I am most proud of is that this was the first sling-load training and operational mission conducted within the brigade, and the team met the commander’s goals,\u201d Li said. \u201cWe built this capability from the ground up, trained 30 Soldiers through realistic field work, and proved our brigade can team up with aviation units to deliver life support anywhere it is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. \u2014 Thirty New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347595,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10,49,51,50],"class_list":["post-347594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}