Future Missions
There are no future missions or changes to existing missions currently planned at SBAH.
The proximity of the Barry M. Goldwater Range Complex and its restricted airspace
allows for future training involving aerial gunnery or unmanned aerial systems, but at the
time of writing this JLUS, these have not been identified as future mission. The limiting
factor to future increases in training and mission operations is the number of personnel
required. The infrastructure and facilities at SBAH are established to support future
growths in operations, but the current workforce at SBAH is insufficient to support a
large increase in operations.
The National Guard
Bureau is the federal
entity responsible for
administering the U.S.
National Guard and is a
joint bureau of the
Department of the Army
and the Department of
the Air Force.
Units and Tenants at SBAH
WAATS
The WAATS was activated in October 1986 and accounts for
most of the operations at SBAH. Its pre‐mobilization mission is
to conduct National Guard Bureau‐directed aviation training
for the Attack and Aero‐Scout mission, as approved and
directed by the U.S. Army Training & Doctrine Command
(TRADOC). Its post‐mobilization mission is to augment the
TRADOC, as an activity under the command and control of the U.S. Army Aviation Center.
The WAATS provides four types of training and services for helicopter training: flight
training, enlisted training, simulation services, and support services. The WAATS currently
provides training on two types of helicopter aircraft, with courses ranging from four
weeks to eight weeks. Courses may include academic training, flight training, simulation
training, and night vision training. For UH‐60 Black Hawk helicopters, there is a six‐week
aircraft qualification course and an eight‐week instructor pilot course. For UH‐72A
Lakota helicopters, there is a four‐week Enlisted flight instructor course, a four‐week
transition course, an eight‐week instructor pilot course, and an eight‐week advanced
qualification course.
The WAATS also trains international military students in its courses. International
students have come from many different countries, including Bahrain, Egypt, Germany,
Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Sweden.
The WAATS Enlisted Training Center was established in 1993 and is the ARNG’s sole
school for Aviation Operations Specialist Reclass Course. The Enlisted training courses
range from two weeks and one day to four weeks and focus on aircraft maintenance and
operations specialist skills.
Background Report
3-29