Jan. 30, 2026

Perspectives: Parachute and Jumper Recovery (and Why the Army Should Care)

Despite over 80 years of Airborne Operations capabilities, the US Army remains without an organic process or mechanism for the recovery of paratroopers or equipment entangled at height in the wood-line. This equates to apparently unknown and unverifiable quantities of FY24 funds expended by USASOC and allegedly around $1,000,000 from within XVIII Airborne Corps for replacement of aerial delivery systems. Despite various investments across USASOC subordinate organizations in the name of “mobility”, vertical applications remain beyond our scope and practice. This article also seeks to challenge the accepted level of risk normalized amongst leaders with regards to currently prescribed and common recovery practices.