Brown Berets – Combat aviation advisors

Combat aviation advisors are the air force go to experts for embedding with and teaching the air forces of other nations. These foreign forces often have primitive or little flying street, generally pulled from midcareer ncos and officers. CAAS are selected from 18 different air force career fields, such as police, medics and pilots to train foreign aviation forces or even carry out unconventional warfare missions. To distinguish CAAS in their unique foreign internal defense mission, advisors began wearing brown berets in January 2018. The color signifies grit, hard work and fertile soil, reminding the wearer to seek potential where others see barrenness.

CAAS operate exclusively within the 6th Special Operations Squadron and its reserve counterpart, the seven 11th SOS. The 6th SOS was formed in 1944 as the 6th Fighter Squadron, part of the first Air Commando Group. Over the decades, it has been deactivated and reactivated several times. In October 1994, it was redesignated as the 6th Special Operations Squadron and has existed as such ever since, operating today in Africa, Europe, the Pacific and South America. The men and women of the 6th SOS live by a long list of coyote rules.

If you run with the pack, play by pack rules, but keep your options open. If you’re in a fair fight, you didn’t plan it properly. When you hunt alone, stealth is your best hope. All CAAS must complete twelve to 18 months of training that emphasizes foreign language skills and knowledge of partner cultures. CaAS often return year after year to continue bolstering other countries military forces, developing rapport and often camaraderie with their foreign counterparts.

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