Washington will shudder with the thump, thump, thump of Army and Air Force helicopters flying just one-third of the way up the Washington Monument — 200 feet — during a training mission Wednesday, the military announced.
The Joint Force Headquarters said the training will help the services prepare for emergency preparedness for both natural and manmade “disasters.”
The announcement comes just one day after a former U.S. Postal employee who freely flew a gyrocopter through Washington’s restricted airspace at less than 500 feet before landing at the U.S. Capitol rejected a plea deal.
The Army conducted a similar mission over Washington a year ago. Army Photo
From Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region:
Military Training Flights in the Nation’s Capital to enhance military response capability
FORT LESLEY J. McNAIR, D.C. – The Joint Force Headquarters – National Capital Region, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and multiple mission partners, will conduct helicopter training flights throughout the day as part of a military exercise on Wednesday, June 24 in the Washington D.C. area.
The military training flights will be performed by U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force UH-60 and UH-1 aircraft operating between 200 – 1,000 feet above ground level. These flights have been carefully planned and will be closely controlled.
The flights are intended to assist in collaboration between partners, emergency preparedness training, and will serve to refine and improve the military’s ability to respond to natural and manmade disasters. No ordnance of any kind will be employed during this exercise.
Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region, based at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. plans, partners, maintains situational awareness, and as directed, employs forces as a Joint Task Force conducting homeland defense and civil support operations to defend and secure the National Capital Region. The command is subordinate to the United States Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, CO.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
