U.S. Army Helicopters and U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Forces: Implications for Halting Military Operations (Occasional Paper Number 22)
U.S. Army Helicopters and U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Forces: Implications for Halting Military Operations (Occasional Paper Number 22)
This paper examines the operational concept of U.S. Army attack helicopters operating in concert with USAF fighter aircraft. Joint Air Attack Team (JAAT) doctrine and tactics are well established and the practical joint employment of these systems has been prevalent since the Vietnam War. This paper recommends a level of integration that transcends synchronized operations and envisions the formation of a truly joint Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) coalescing planning, training, and deployment functions and employing as a single integrated joint force. The argument in this study is that during the initial phase of a Small Scale Contingency, which is also known as the 'halt phase' of an evolving Major Regional Contingency, that U.S. military forces would benefit from more closely integrating attack helicopters and air expeditionary forces. This concept raises a number of potentially interesting questions. Could the AH-64 supplement or substitute for the A-10 Thunderbolt in some cases. Would it be more efficient in terms of strategic lift and staging requirements in the theater to deploy in this way. Would this more integrated arrangement facilitate more efficient command and control for the Joint Force Commander (JFC) and more rapidly generate combat power at the decisive time and place. In light of the recent Kosovo experience, these issues seem particularly relevant. This study also examines how joint and service doctrines have evolved. The central argument is that integrating operational forces will lead to truly joint operations, as outlined in the Department of Defenses Joint Vision 2020. If integrating Army helicopters and Air Force expeditionary forces helps to bridge the gap between the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army doctrine, it could lead to the emergence of new concepts and technologies that will help U.S. military forces conduct joint operations more effectively in the future.
Document information
U.S. Army Helicopters and U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Forces: Implications for Halting Military Operations (Occasional Paper Number 22)
2001
49 pages
Report
No indication
English
Aircraft , Military Operations, Strategy, & Tactics , Air force , Fighter aircraft , Military doctrine , Attack helicopters , Army , Joint military activities , Rapid deployment , Army aircraft , Air power , Tactical warfare , Battle management , Integration , Combat effectiveness , Command and control systems , Aerospace expeditionary forces , Halt phase , Strategic preclusion , Jaat(Joint air attack teams) , Aef(Aerospace expeditionary forces) , A-10 aircraft , Ah-64 aircraft , Joint vision 2020 , Force structure , Ato(Air tasking orders)