Milestone Promotion: First CW5 named in 150A MOS history

FORT RUCKER, Ala.--The Army 150A Air Traffic and Airspace Management Technician military occupational specialty now has its first ever chief warrant officer five.

Newly promoted in a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Sept. 4, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Robert A. Kilpatrick serves as the Aviation Center of Excellence Air Traffic and Airspace Management Technician and Airspace Transformation Lessons Learned manager at Fort Rucker.

Chief Warrant Officer of the Aviation Branch, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Robert S. Slider, noted that Kilpatrick’s promotion is a testament not only to individual success, but also to the importance of the MOS.

“The promotion of the first 150A to chief warrant officer five is a milestone for Army Aviation and for the entire 150A community,” Slider said. “At a critical time as the Army transforms to meet the demands of modern warfare, this promotion highlights the importance of air traffic and airspace management as a core warfighting capability.”

“As our formations integrate manned aircraft, unmanned systems, and launched effects into increasingly complex airspace, the Army needs senior technical experts who can help commanders synchronize those capabilities safely and effectively. This milestone reflects not only the achievement of one exceptional warrant officer, but also the maturity, relevance, and future of the 150A specialty within Army aviation,” he said.

The 150A Air Traffic and Airspace Management Technician is a highly specialized Aviation Branch technical warrant officer, dedicated to the critical management of tactical airfield systems, air traffic control equipment, and complex airspace structures. Warrant officers in this specialty serve as indispensable subject matter experts, bridging the gap between tactical operations and strategic airspace management.

Key responsibilities include airspace advising, airspace management, supervising ATC personnel and equipment, and overseeing training and certification programs.

The 150A MOS was phased out during the 1980s during Army downsizing and restructuring. With commissioned officers and junior lieutenants having to absorb the warrant officer duties, this resulted in pulling rated aviators away from the cockpit and led to a critical loss of continuity in air traffic management.

During the Global War on Terror, the Army revived the 150A MOS to bring back dedicated airspace experts.

The 150A warrant officers are vital to the safety and success of Army aviation missions worldwide.

Kilpatrick, whose first ATC assignment was with 1-11th Aviation Regiment here, subsequently served in 3-58th Aviation Regiment at Katterbach Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) facility. He served as an Army drill sergeant, training and mentoring the next generation of Soldiers, prior to his appointment as a warrant officer and transition to 150A Air Traffic and Airspace Management technician.

He has an extensive background in tactical ATC, joint interoperability, and strategic airspace modernization. He recently led the Air Defense and Airspace Management and Brigade Aviation Element redesign that was approved by the Army Combined Arms Command commander and is currently being implemented through force design updates.

He has driven critical force modernization initiatives. While assigned to U.S. Army Pacific, he served as the lead action officer for the Theater Army Airspace DOTMLPF-P gap analysis presented to the CAC commander. This foundational work led directly to his proposal for the currently approved airspace element within the USARPAC Theater Fires Element.

Kilpatrick collaborated extensively for three years with DARPA on the Air Space Total Awareness for Rapid Tactical Execution program, delivering vital technical contributions that significantly improved system interoperability. He co-authored a strategic white paper for the Chief of Staff of the Army outlining the future of Air Force Tactical Air Control Party support to Army 2030 and assisted in authoring portions of the new Army Airspace Control Field Manual, FM 3-52.

He completed multiple deployments to Afghanistan including with the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and with 3rd Infantry Division as an advisor to the Afghan Army.

Serving with 3rd Infantry Division was where he got his “first real taste of airspace,” he said. During that “busy and stressful time,” with 19 years of service under his belt, he was getting to a point where he was thinking about retirement; but a little help from above, and the people he worked with, made all the difference.

“The Lord has always seemed to have a hand in my life and set me on a path where the right people at the right time would always come in line,” Kilpatrick said. “All those wonderful people from that deployment just made it all worthwhile. That put me back on an upswing again. The people kept me going.”

He said he is grateful for the support from his spouse, their two daughters who currently serve in the U.S. Air Force, as well as the Army warrant officer community. He also lauded the important work of Department of the Army civilian Brian Swensen at the 150A Basic Course here.

Now, with 26 years of service in the Army, Kilpatrick said he’s focused on giving back.

“What I’m trying to do now is give back to them, the air traffic controllers, the 150A’s, and really the Army and the Joint force as a whole. I want to make sure that we provide the best trained, best equipped air traffic and airspace Soldiers and warrant officers so that, if called, we can meet our wartime mission,” Kilpatrick said. “I want to be able to give something back before I step away.”

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