Posted on Jul 12, 2015
CPO Gregory Smith
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Is the airborne concept outdated? In almost 14 years of war has there been any parachute deployments of troops into a combat zone?
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Responses: 186
PFC Elijah Rose
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Yes, they're outdated. The last mass paradrop was during the Battle of the Rhine when we invaded Germany.

I shoukd be stating the obvious when I say all airborne infantry units should be redesignated as airmobile units.
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LtCol Lourie Salley
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I am an Airborne qualified Marine. The 82nd jumped into Panama in 84(?), and the 173rd AIB jumped into Northern Iraq during the 2nd gulf war. I would not be surprised if there were not Airborne ops in Afganistan..
Airborne gives much the same capability that the Marine Corps provides, forced entrusting into foreign territory. We seize ports. They seize airfields.
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SPC Terry Eli
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I believe the rangers completed a combat jump when the country of Turkey wouldn't allow our troops to use their country to come into Iraq from the North. Rangers were used as a blocking force against Saddam's troops fleeing the south
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SSG Pat O'Flaherty
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I meant not outdated.
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SSG Pat O'Flaherty
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Yes, mullah Omar's compound.
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SFC Edwbl Edwbl
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Absolutely not....
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SP5 Patrick Oxford
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Until they build helicopters that can carry a hundred men 5000 miles and land them in an area with no runways or any close coast line the question self answers. But as I understand it, our sole Airborne division is nowhere near totally airborne anymore. I believe the division commander if not on jump status should at least be jump qualified. Battalion commanders and below should be on jump status. No, they may not go in the initial jump, but maybe the next day or so. Battalion and brigade staffs should be able to jump in on D-day plus two or three. Yes cooks and supply as well.
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SPC Phillip Hersman
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Yes, I got lazy and didn't read all of the comments, but did everyone forget about rangers jumping in to Kandahar in Oct 2001?
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Cpl Mark Sullivan
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You absolutely need it in the playbook
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MAJ Steve Daugherty
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The mass airborne attack is probably outdated as your too easy a target, but can still see a place for night time infiltration modalities or individual soldiers using individual flying tech
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