#185: Air To Ground Integration - Retired LTG Ken Tovo And Chief Warrant Officer Sean McCormick

Who’s more important? The operators on the ground or the aviators in the sky? It’s hard to seize the objective without boots on the ground; but if you can’t get to the objective in the first place, there’s no mission at all.

The reality is that operators need aviators and aviators need operators. Green Berets and the pilots of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment share bonds that transcend their MOS and their mobility platform. 

Live from the 2nd Annual Stars and Stripes Classic, I sat down with Chairman of the Green Beret Foundation retired Lieutenant General Ken Tovo and Chief Warrant Officer Sean McCormick to talk about what it takes to build true interoperability between air and ground units, and why there is no such term as “more important.”

Chief McCormick served as a lead pilot in the 160th SOAR after a career in 75th Ranger Regiment; he also served as General Tovo’s pilot while the General was the USASOC Commander. Their partnership and friendship provides a rare perspective on the leadership, trust, and relentless commitment that define Special Operations. 

Together, they shared how those experiences shaped their understanding of teamwork, mission focus, and the ability to take on any challenge. They also share an unknown secret about GBF’s upcoming POW/MIA recovery missions with Project Recover.

The Stars and Stripes Classic is more than a lacrosse game. It’s a moment to honor the warriors who always step forward, the families who support them, and the community that preserves their legacy through the Green Beret and Navy SEAL Foundations. Special thanks to the Premier Lacrosse League for hosting another thrilling game. 

Highlights

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:42 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast
• 3:25 Service in the 160th SOAR
• 4:57 Defining Interoperability
• 6:15 Planning and Customer Centric in the 160th
• 10:54 Building a SOF team
• 14:08 Defining De Opresso Liber
• 16:00 Honoring MACV-SOG
• 18:30 Partnering with Project Recover

Quotes

• “It was a great honor, great experience, and a lot of good stories about that.”
• “Sometimes the most difficult and important part of a mission is actually just getting there.”
• “You are the RCO’s representative when you’re the LNO.”
• “We’re going to plan and rehearse as much as we possibly can before that mission takes place.”
• “You can’t be an expert if you do more than one thing.”
• “They’re problem solvers who figure out “What do I need to do to do what I signed up to accomplish.”
• “No matter what happens, you’re going to accomplish the mission.”
• “99% of the time, we’re working through a partner force to accomplish whatever our mission is.” 
• “Even in our own community, a lot of what MACV-SOG did is really not even part of the history because it’s been classified until recently.” 
• “58 Green Berets still are yet to be found in Vietnam from that era.”

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