Will there ever be a mass attack airborne operation again?

SGM, As a proud Paratrooper, my stance is better have it and not need it, than not have it and will need it.
The quickest and most efficient method of deploying an entire unit, with their equipment, in a moments notice. Being in an Airborne unit is the epitome of readiness. I love that mission!

As part of the 82D I can tell you that I can get wheels up to anywhere in the world in 18 hrs. With us you have the ability to put 3,500 paratroopers on the ground in under 10 minutes. All they have to do is call. Yes I see the chance for one as the world spins more out of control.

Probably not. Most future conflicts wil be small unit centered.

Nope but that doesn't mean that it isn't still a good skill set to keep in our Tool Box.

There would have to be if you want troops behind the lines. I know guys that would kill for the opportunity. If they had the opportunity, I guess they wouldn't have a choice but to kill.

I believe history has demonstrated that as soon as we dismantle a program, the need for it invariably arises. The US Air Force is down to 50% of its' aircraft, the Army and Marines have been depleted, and the Navy is restricted, plus we have $ 1.5 trillion committed to an airplane with a lot of problems. There is no doubt in my mind why Putin is pushing the buttons wherever he can - having cogent airborne capacity is critical for deterrence, and for aggressive positioning. Apparently the command structure is revisiting a Fulda Gap defensive mindset again with current training. Back in the 70's we were given LAW's and TOW's in the hope that small, mobile units would be able to pick ambush and pick off Russian Armor and Mech troops. That, in my mind, would have made us the clay pigeons that Airborne were originally considered to be, and a stop gap measure to enable us to bring NG and Reserves over from the US. Russia has demonstrated their combined use of surprise, armor and airborne, with a steady dose of artillery - which makes them pretty effective in a conventional war scenario. The Estonians and Latvians (NATO partners) have no military to speak of, so the Russians can occupy those territories quickly. The Russians have 50,000 soldiers massed on the Polish border, and their big Tupolev's are challenging our airspace in the Pacific. We are spread precariously thin, removed our defensive missile umbrella from Europe, and stripped our bases there. What else do we have to counter them? Airborne units. After that?

If you look back over the last 75 years of the airborne and see the various opperations and levels of success in each. Some would say that it is an out dated means of insertion of a large number of troops. I would argue that it is less out dated then an amphibious assault by the marines.

Yes - though I am probably biased in opinion. You can look as recent as Mali in 2012. Though it was 2REP (French Foreign Legion), they executed a combat parachute assault. Additionally there are many examples of the US Army executing company, battalion and brigade-level parachute assaults throughout the GWOT.

To me, it's all about maintaining capability. Will we ever find ourselves entrenched in a massive armor conflict again? Who knows. But we will continue to maintain our heavy brigade combat teams in the event our nation calls. As SGM Embich mentioned earlier, the 82nd Airborne Division has the unique ability to out-load an entire Brigade and take them anywhere in the world in 18-hours. Whether utilizing a parachute assault as the method of insertion or not, the capability is what is important.

Those saying no to Mass Exit Tactical Airborne Operations ("mass attack" is incorrect), are forgetting the last four we've done. Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The need for the airborne forced entry technique will still be there, as long as there are countries and separate "organizations" that wish to do harm to us.

I doubt it to be honest. The only caveat I have to that is in a world war type situation, a massive airborne operation COULD take place simultaneously with multiple other insertion types.