Major Jesse Kirchmeier served as planner and liaison officer for the 159th Aviation Brigade in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 05-07. The 159th deployed as a transformed aviation brigade, integrating three separate National Guard companies, a Reserve battalion that was eventually replaced by a Guard battalion headquarters with Guard companies, and a National Guard medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) unit which, according to Kirchmeier, all seamlessly integrated into the brigade structure. In the process of integrating and reequipping the units at Fort Dix, they found that the base's infrastructure could not support the necessary training required by the various units. He sees the new modular brigades as superior to the legacy brigades, pointing out the ready availability of heavy lift and MEDEVAC helicopters and the general increased flexibility it affords the commanders. Despite having older aircraft, civilian contract augmentation and maintenance pushed forward by theater helped them reach and sustain a relatively high readiness rate. He notes that the integration of Active, Reserve and National Guard aviation units is becoming the norm, and believes that personalities, not component, is now the biggest factor in successfully mixing them. The one real difficulty experienced by the Guard and Reserve that has not improved is supplying them with new equipment just before deployment, forcing them to learn how to use it as they are heading to war.

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