The12th Aviation Battalion has its continuity of government mission, which is not a secret, but is also not well known or often publicized. There are continuity of government plans across the whole of the U.S. government to help ensure that key authorities can continue to perform their duties even in the worst of scenarios, as you can read more about here.

“12th Aviation [Battalion] obviously has a special mission set in the National Capital Region,” Jonathan Koziol, a subject matter expert and retired Army aviator now working for the Aviation Directorate Chief of Staff within the Department of the Army’s top headquarters at the Pentagon, told TWZ and other reporters during a press call today.

“Part of it is VIP flights for our senior leaders throughout the service to get them to and from certain areas,” Koziol continued. “But partly, some of their mission is to support the Department of Defense if something really bad happens in this area and we need to move our senior leaders.”


In the event of a major attack, or warning of an imminent one, as well as natural disasters and other similarly severe crises, the 12th Aviation Battalion’s helicopters could be tasked with flying senior U.S. officials and lawmakers from locations like the Pentagon, Capitol Building, and White House to more secure sites in the region. These include Camp David, Mount Weather, and Raven Rock. Many continuity of government sites remain classified.