28 October 99
(originally scheduled for 28 Sep)
1330-1530
"Air power which can go straight to the vital centers and entirely neutralize or destroy them has put a completely new complexion on the old system of making war."
Gen Billy Mitchell
"Each of us--Land, Sea, and Air Commanders--had our own special war to fight, each of us had his own separate problems; but those separate problems were closely interlocked, and each of us had responsibilities one to the other. Given mutual understanding of that, you get mutual faith; and only with mutual faith will you get the three arms working together as one great war machine."
Lord Tedder, 1946
"The potential of the air campaign in most if not all military campaigns is central to adjustments in strategy. Airpower is not just ancillary to the ground counteroffensive."
James R. Schlessinger, 1998
Overview:
The Air Force is a service born of change. In 1947, the technology of air power and the shape of world events demanded a new service to exploit the special capabilities of aircraft to project American influence anywhere on the globe. The five years from 1945 to 1950 saw the first (and only) use of nuclear weapons in combat, the breakdown of the wartime Soviet-American alliance, the rise of the Soviet threat and Soviet acquisition of nuclear weapons, the commitment of the United States to Europe in the North Atlantic Treaty, and the onset of war in Korea. That tumultuous half decade was the context for the birth and early formation of the Air Force.
The last five years have been no less historic. In this rapidly changing world, the responsiveness and flexibility of the Air Force will undoubtedly become even more vital. A downsized force with decreased forward presence, combined with expanded operations other than war, will increasingly require air and space power to project national will quickly and effectively. The Air Force will play an essential role in projecting U.S. power--to provide the nation with flexible, rapid responding, precise, lethal forces with the ability to engage anywhere, anytime.
Objectives:
- Comprehend the major capabilities and limitations of United States Air Force forces.
- Comprehend the Air Force's essential organizational structure and how its forces and operations fit into the larger joint command and control structure.
- Comprehend the Air Force's fundamental doctrinal precepts and its essential approach to warfighting.
- Be familiar with the U.S. Air Force's contributions to executing the National Military Strategy.
Discussion:
While the history of the Air Force as a separate service dates back to 1947, air power itself has been an important instrument in warfare since World War I. While air power did not change the essential nature of war, it did present a revolutionary way of conducting war. With the advent of the airplane, an enemy became vulnerable from a third dimension--the medium of air. In the past few years, another medium, that of space, has taken on greater importance. Today, the aerospace medium provides access to all of the earth's surface and aerospace power can quickly concentrate on or above any point on the earth's surface.
Since the early days of aircraft, it has been clear that air power could perform four essential functions: observe, lift, control the air, and attack the enemy. All doctrinal debate, force structure considerations, and inter-service debate involving the Air Force essentially springs from a consideration of how and in what form these four functions should be performed.
According to AFDD 1, Air Force Basic Doctrine, the Air Force has six core competencies: aerospace superiority, precision engagement, information superiority, global attack, rapid global mobility, and agile combat support. These core competencies are integral to our Air Force and the way it operates. While other service air branches might do some of these same things, the Air Force's global perspective in performing these core competencies is what differentiates the Air Force from those other air branches. These core competencies enable our Air Force doctrine -- they allow us to apply doctrinal beliefs to air and space operations.
In addition, the Air Force has defined seven tenets of aerospace power that complement the principles of war and provide specific considerations for air and space forces:
Centralized control/decentralized execution. Air and space power must be centrally controlled by an airman who maintains broad strategic and/or theater perspective in prioritizing the use of limited air and space assets. Delegation of execution authority to capable, responsible lower-level commanders fosters initiative, responsiveness, and tactical flexibility.
Flexibility and versatility. Air and space forces are able to exploit mass and maneuver simultaneously to a far greater extent than surface forces. Air and space forces are versatile because they can be employed equally effectively at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of warfare. The versatility of aerospace power, properly executed, can present an enemy with multiple crises occurring so quickly that there is no way to adequately respond to those crises.
Synergism. The proper application of coordinated force can produce effects that exceed the individual contributions of that force applied separately.
Persistence. Aerospace forces can visit, then revisit wide varieties of targets almost at will. Aerospace power can provide continual pressure on an enemy without necessarily occupying terrain or constantly remaining in close proximity to the enemy.
Concentration. Like military operations in other mediums, aerospace power must achieve concentration of purpose to be successful. Inadvertent dispersion of aerospace assets, usually due to high demand, can hinder aerospace power from achieving its objectives, delay reaching those objectives, and/or increase friendly losses in reaching those objectives.
Priority. Limited resources require that aerospace forces be applied where they can make the greatest contribution to the most current Joint Force Commander requirements. All the tenets of aerospace power must be balanced with the airman's strategic perspective to properly prioritize air and space force operations.
Balance. An air commander must balance combat opportunity, necessity, effectiveness, efficiency, and the impact on accomplishing assigned objectives against the risk to friendly forces.
Air power theory has evolved while trying to reconcile two often conflicting imperatives: the requirement to complement surface forces while accomplishing unique (independent) missions which only air power could accomplish. These tenets describe how airmen think about air power and how it supports joint operations--and they have formed the basis for considerable debate and discussion within the U.S. Armed Forces.
There is no doubt that aerospace power will remain important in projecting US power around the world. The ability or air and space forces to respond quickly and effectively and all the levels of war encourage continued debates on its effectiveness of breaking the will of an enemy and supporting US interests. No matter where one might stand in those debates, we must all agree that aerospace power is critical to our national security-it won't go away, and we must embrace its responsiveness and lethality as a potential tool and as a potential threat.
Issues for consideration:
- What capabilities does the Air Force contribute to the joint force? What are the associated limitations?
- How do Air Force capabilities and doctrine complement the other services?
- How and why is the JFACC concept important?
- What are the areas of contention between the Air Force and other services? How are they overcome?
Required readings:
* AFDD-1, Air Force Basic Doctrine. Washington DC: Headquarters United States Air Force. Sep 97. pp 1 - 60 (Student Issue)
* AFDD-2, Organization and Employment of Aerospace Power. Washington DC: Headquarters United States Air Force. Sep 98. pp 1-22, 31-51, 57-61, 75-83. (Student Handout)
Supplemental readings:
* Global Engagement: A Vision for the 21st Century Air Force. Washington, DC: Department of the Air Force.
* JP 3 - 56.1, Command and Control for Joint Air Operations. Washington, DC: The Joint Staff. 14 Nov 94. (http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/operations.htm)
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