"Who are the Pilots?... All of Us, Sir" - An AWS1 assigned to SRT-1

By an AWS1 assigned to SRT-1

Picture this – the Commanding Officer of an Unmanned Aircraft Squadron in the U.S. Air Force looking around a roomful of military personnel asking who are the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) pilots. “We all are,” I replied. Then he asks who operated the payloads. I replied again, “All of us, sir.” Incredulous, he listened as I explained that the UAS operators conduct all of the maintenance as well.

Compared to the logistical tail that conventional forces require when conducting UAS operations, all that is required to maintain and operate three Naval Special Warfare (NSW) UAS platforms in support of Geographic Combatant Commanders (GCC) and Coalition forces is a small team of enlisted Sailors.

The NSW unmanned mission is not only for the multitasking Nintendo millennial generation, but also for the kid who likes to get his hands dirty. The UAS operator controls the aircraft through two keyboards, a mouse, a joystick, and the continuous scanning of three computer screens. On one screen, an airplane graphic floats over 2D satellite imagery, informing the operator of the location and current state of the aircraft. On another, the operator commands various aircraft and autopilot functions. And on a third screen the operator controls the payload in support of the mission. Meanwhile, fellow UAS operators conduct scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, preparing for follow-on missions and training constantly.

Attention to detail is the key to NSW operators successfully operating UAS and critical given our new CNO-directed mission to develop a "larger, hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned platforms." Not only do our operators need to be brilliant at the basics, but they must employ techniques and procedures that take full advantage of the platform’s capability. To get there, NSW UAS is participating in large Navy and Marine Corps wargame exercises to improve rotary and tilt-wing confidence integrating with unmanned assets. For example, when our unit was tasked as the red cell to simulate our competitors' capabilities on the battlefield, the integration resulted in improved tactics, techniques, and procedures for the future and skills to enable victory across all domains.

The strength of a good UAS operator is in one’s ability to know the system, but more importantly, to work within a team. NSW’s assembled team comes from Naval Aviation ratings sourced across all platforms in the Naval Aviation Enterprise that deploy to various locations such as austere environments, vessels of all types, and well-established bases. From building structures to site setup, one learns to adapt and contribute to the mission in any way possible. Depending on the mission, location, and resources, the unit must be agile and adapt to its environment. Senior leadership is not in a climatecontrolled office typing on their ergonomic keyboards and bouncing on their stability chairs. Instead, they are covered in oil doing preventative maintenance on critical components in 120-degree heat or below-freezing temperatures, cursing after they dropped yet another tiny screw in the sand at the end of a long workday.

Everyone is gainfully employed, and we lean on each other's strengths to complete the mission, while egos are left at the door. The team has a clear understanding of the desired outcome and works cohesively toward that end state. These leadership traits are developed through years of high tempo operations and a "figure it out" attitude. Our team is successful because we all have stake in the game, and we rely on one another to do our own parts.

As UAS operators return to manned aviation to fill priority billets within our respective communities, I would challenge every command to leverage these returning Sailors, their experiences, and knowledge to bring the manned and unmanned communities together to accomplish the CNO's priorities and national military strategy.