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D.C. Guard misused helicopters in low-flying confrontation with George Floyd protesters, Army conclu
Also: Army Investigation into June 1st D.C. National Guard Helicopter usage uncovered organizational, resource, and oversight shortcomings (U.S. Army)
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Source: Washington Post
D.C. Guard misused helicopters in low-flying confrontation with George Floyd protesters, Army concludes
By Alex Horton
April 15, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
The D.C. National Guard’s deployment of helicopters to quell racial justice demonstrations in Washington last summer, a chilling scene in which two aircraft hovered extremely low over clusters of protesters, was a misuse of military medical aircraft and resulted in the disciplining of multiple soldiers, the Army said Wednesday.
In an announcement, the Army said one helicopter “hovered under 100 feet” over the heads of people in the nation’s capital on June 1 as D.C. police and federal agencies worked to disperse crowds protesting police brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis days earlier.
An Army official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid, acknowledged that a UH-72 Lakota helicopter at one point hovered a mere 55 feet off the ground. A Washington Post investigation last year estimated the height was 45 feet.
As military commanders rushed to support law enforcement that night, the D.C. Guard ordered five helicopters into the sky.
Senior officials, including then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, have maintained that the mission was to observe crowds and help police track people’s movements, and they have dismissed assertions that the maneuvers were intended to frighten and scatter protesters on the streets after a curfew had been imposed.
-snip-
By Alex Horton
April 15, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
The D.C. National Guard’s deployment of helicopters to quell racial justice demonstrations in Washington last summer, a chilling scene in which two aircraft hovered extremely low over clusters of protesters, was a misuse of military medical aircraft and resulted in the disciplining of multiple soldiers, the Army said Wednesday.
In an announcement, the Army said one helicopter “hovered under 100 feet” over the heads of people in the nation’s capital on June 1 as D.C. police and federal agencies worked to disperse crowds protesting police brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis days earlier.
An Army official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid, acknowledged that a UH-72 Lakota helicopter at one point hovered a mere 55 feet off the ground. A Washington Post investigation last year estimated the height was 45 feet.
As military commanders rushed to support law enforcement that night, the D.C. Guard ordered five helicopters into the sky.
Senior officials, including then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, have maintained that the mission was to observe crowds and help police track people’s movements, and they have dismissed assertions that the maneuvers were intended to frighten and scatter protesters on the streets after a curfew had been imposed.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/04/15/dc-guard-helicopter-george-floyd-protest/
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Source: U.S. Army Public Affairs
Army Investigation into June 1st D.C. National Guard Helicopter usage uncovered organizational, resource, and oversight shortcomings
By U.S. Army Public Affairs April 14, 2021
WASHINGTON – A command investigation into the use of D.C. National Guard helicopters in and around the District of Columbia on June 1, 2020 in response to civil unrest uncovered several organizational, resource, and oversight shortcomings.
The Army Regulation 15-6 investigation was initiated in response to reports that a D.C. National Guard Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) helicopter hovered low over a crowd near the Capitol One Arena on the night of June 1, 2020.
Inspector General oversight of the command investigation concluded that the use of MEDEVAC helicopters was not prohibited by Federal law or policy or Army regulation; there was a systematic lack of understanding regarding the employment and command and control of helicopters during civil disturbance operations; and the decisions to use the helicopters in support of the civil disturbance operations were reasonable given the emergent nature of the situation.
Recommendations resulting from the investigation include a review of Army regulatory guidance to ensure aviation support to civil disturbance operations is appropriately addressed. Additionally, the Army immediately began implementing corrective actions related to the planning, training, equipping, command and control, oversight, and orders processes for the integration of D.C. National Guard aviation assets into civil disturbance operations.
-snip-
By U.S. Army Public Affairs April 14, 2021
WASHINGTON – A command investigation into the use of D.C. National Guard helicopters in and around the District of Columbia on June 1, 2020 in response to civil unrest uncovered several organizational, resource, and oversight shortcomings.
The Army Regulation 15-6 investigation was initiated in response to reports that a D.C. National Guard Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) helicopter hovered low over a crowd near the Capitol One Arena on the night of June 1, 2020.
Inspector General oversight of the command investigation concluded that the use of MEDEVAC helicopters was not prohibited by Federal law or policy or Army regulation; there was a systematic lack of understanding regarding the employment and command and control of helicopters during civil disturbance operations; and the decisions to use the helicopters in support of the civil disturbance operations were reasonable given the emergent nature of the situation.
Recommendations resulting from the investigation include a review of Army regulatory guidance to ensure aviation support to civil disturbance operations is appropriately addressed. Additionally, the Army immediately began implementing corrective actions related to the planning, training, equipping, command and control, oversight, and orders processes for the integration of D.C. National Guard aviation assets into civil disturbance operations.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.army.mil/article/245224/army_investigation_into_june_1st_dc_national_guard_helicopter_usage_uncovered_organizational_resource_and_oversight_shortcomings