Coronavirus canceled the Army Aviation Association of America (Quad-A) annual confab scheduled for April in Nashville, Tennessee. The gathering would have been one of the more meaty meetings in a decade, as major Army rotorcraft modernization programs emerge and the aviation branch continues to be in high demand in war zones around the globe.
But Tennessee’s ban on large gatherings forced Quad-A President Jeff Schloesser to cancel. In an effort to get the Army Aviation message out during the ongoing pandemic, the retired Army two-star general, who led troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan, joined Rotor Radio to discuss the current crisis, future vertical lift technologies and the heavy demand placed on uniformed aviators.
Given its modernization needs and ongoing wars in Afghanistan and elsewhere, demand for U.S. Army aviation is at an all time high and “we are hard pressed to do everything our nation needs,” Schloesser tells Vertical.
Schloesser retired from service after 34 years that included commanding the 101st Airborne Division and Regional Command-East in Afghanistan and serving as assistant division commander of the 101st in Iraq. He commanded two Army Special Operations Aviation Battalions and flew with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. Prior to military retirement, he was the Director of Army Aviation, leading the U.S. Army’s $6 billion Aviation modernization and transformation plan.
Currently serving as the president of Quad-A, Schloesser’s day job is executive vice president of strategic pursuits at Bell, based at the company’s Advanced Vertical Lift Center outside Washington, D.C.
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