Williams Foundation Lunch: Advanced Attack Helicopters in the Amphibious Role with LtGen George J. Trautman

Advanced Attack Helicopters in the Amphibious Role

Dedicated attack helicopters grew out of applying the vertical envelopment combat lessons learned in Vietnam. They then evolved from jungle warfare to land based and amphibious attack roles.

Because landing on a ship is not the same as living on a ship, the US Marine Corps made numerous modifications to these new attack platforms for life at sea.

Attack operations from sea-based platforms present unique challenges…challenges not associated with land based platforms. While numerous, these challenges can be mitigated through proper aircraft design, maintenance, and employment.

Lieutenant General Trautman is a distinguished alumnus of Pennsylvania State University. He holds a Master of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California, and Master of Arts degrees in International Relations from

Salve Regina University and in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and he served as a Fellow in Residence at the Brookings Institution.

He began his Marine Corps career as an aviator in 1974. During almost 37 years on active duty he served in a wide variety of assignments and commanded units at every level prior to his retirement in 2011. In his last assignment as the Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation he oversaw aviation forces consisting of 40,000 officers and enlisted Marines and was responsible for developing requirements and transition plans for the delivery of new aircraft such as the MV-­22 Osprey, KC-­130J Hercules, UH-­1YVenom, AH-­1Z Viper, and F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.

In addition to his military career, Lieutenant General Trautman has a long record of community involvement and board service. Since his retirement, he formed G. J. Trautman Enterprises, a defense and aerospace consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Dedicated to providing guidance to clients in both government and industry, he currently serves as a board member and senior consultant to defense and non-defense companies seeking assistance in strategy development, project management, and the Department of Defense programming and budgeting process.