U.S. Army Attack Aviation in a Decisive Action Environment

U.S. Army Attack Aviation in a Decisive Action Environment PDF Author: U. S. Military
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520592701
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 63

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Book Description
The attack helicopter airframe and role evolved slowly, over time, to fulfill the missions of observation and reconnaissance, air escort, direct fire support, anti-tank, and deep attack, in support of ground elements from the platoon to the corps. This evolution was heavily influenced by technology and the Air Force's institutional territorialism. However, today's attack helicopter doctrine, heavily influenced by the Global War on Terror and the 11th Attack Helicopter Regiment's disastrous deep attack during Operation Iraqi Freedom, provides little description for attack aviation support to the division or corps. As a result, both ground and aviation commanders and planners have less doctrinal tools for employing attack helicopters at those levels. This is especially evident in the case of attack aviation support to a friendly unit in direct contact with an enemy force. Through an analysis of current doctrine and history from World War I to the present, this monograph will argue that rotary wing attack aviation can perform a variety of missions, but that attack aviation doctrine needs to be refined in two areas. First, attack aviation doctrine needs to address operations in support of the corps and division. Second, the aviation branch needs to further develop the attack mission in order to describe how commanders can better integrate attack helicopters with the ground scheme of maneuver. Introduction * Section 1. Historical Analysis * The Rise of Airpower Theory and the Loss of the Air Corps * Rise of Army Aviation as Observers, Short-Range Transport, and MEDEVAC * Rise of the Sky Cavalry * The Vietnam Experience and the Rise of the Modern Attack Helicopter * The Effect of Technology, the Deep Attack Mission, and Operation Desert Storm * End of the Deep Attack and the 11th AHR Attack on the Medina Division * Section 2. Doctrinal Analysis * Section 3. Conclusion and Recommendations In terms of manpower, by December 2011 the Army had contributed more than 1.5 million troop-years to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. At that same time, more than 73% of all active component soldiers had deployed at least once to one of those operations with 34% of those soldiers having dedicated 25 months or more. Organizationally, the Army transformed its entire operating concept, switching from combined arms divisions to a modular brigade force. The new design divided the force into combined arms brigade combat teams (BCTs), modular support brigades, and functional brigades that could be rapidly trained, deployed, and attached to higher echelon headquarters to support overseas operations. In terms of thought, the Army developed a series of new doctrinal manuals and concepts to address the unique challenges brought on by more than a decade of sustained overseas operations. Some of the most significant doctrinal publications included: Field Manual (FM) 3-24, Counterinsurgency, an effort to fill a doctrinal gap and address the deteriorating situations in Iraq and Afghanistan; Army Regulation (AR) 525-29, Army Force Generation, a regulation that institutionalized force generation concepts necessary to support the overseas operations; and FM 3-04.111, Aviation Brigades, a doctrinal manual addressing the organizational and operational concepts unique to the new modular combat aviation brigades.

U.S. Army Attack Aviation in a Decisive Action Environment

U.S. Army Attack Aviation in a Decisive Action Environment PDF Author: U. S. Military
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520592701
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 63

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Book Description
The attack helicopter airframe and role evolved slowly, over time, to fulfill the missions of observation and reconnaissance, air escort, direct fire support, anti-tank, and deep attack, in support of ground elements from the platoon to the corps. This evolution was heavily influenced by technology and the Air Force's institutional territorialism. However, today's attack helicopter doctrine, heavily influenced by the Global War on Terror and the 11th Attack Helicopter Regiment's disastrous deep attack during Operation Iraqi Freedom, provides little description for attack aviation support to the division or corps. As a result, both ground and aviation commanders and planners have less doctrinal tools for employing attack helicopters at those levels. This is especially evident in the case of attack aviation support to a friendly unit in direct contact with an enemy force. Through an analysis of current doctrine and history from World War I to the present, this monograph will argue that rotary wing attack aviation can perform a variety of missions, but that attack aviation doctrine needs to be refined in two areas. First, attack aviation doctrine needs to address operations in support of the corps and division. Second, the aviation branch needs to further develop the attack mission in order to describe how commanders can better integrate attack helicopters with the ground scheme of maneuver. Introduction * Section 1. Historical Analysis * The Rise of Airpower Theory and the Loss of the Air Corps * Rise of Army Aviation as Observers, Short-Range Transport, and MEDEVAC * Rise of the Sky Cavalry * The Vietnam Experience and the Rise of the Modern Attack Helicopter * The Effect of Technology, the Deep Attack Mission, and Operation Desert Storm * End of the Deep Attack and the 11th AHR Attack on the Medina Division * Section 2. Doctrinal Analysis * Section 3. Conclusion and Recommendations In terms of manpower, by December 2011 the Army had contributed more than 1.5 million troop-years to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. At that same time, more than 73% of all active component soldiers had deployed at least once to one of those operations with 34% of those soldiers having dedicated 25 months or more. Organizationally, the Army transformed its entire operating concept, switching from combined arms divisions to a modular brigade force. The new design divided the force into combined arms brigade combat teams (BCTs), modular support brigades, and functional brigades that could be rapidly trained, deployed, and attached to higher echelon headquarters to support overseas operations. In terms of thought, the Army developed a series of new doctrinal manuals and concepts to address the unique challenges brought on by more than a decade of sustained overseas operations. Some of the most significant doctrinal publications included: Field Manual (FM) 3-24, Counterinsurgency, an effort to fill a doctrinal gap and address the deteriorating situations in Iraq and Afghanistan; Army Regulation (AR) 525-29, Army Force Generation, a regulation that institutionalized force generation concepts necessary to support the overseas operations; and FM 3-04.111, Aviation Brigades, a doctrinal manual addressing the organizational and operational concepts unique to the new modular combat aviation brigades.

Army Attack Aviation Returning to the Close Fight

Army Attack Aviation Returning to the Close Fight PDF Author: Frank W. Tate
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Street fighting (Military science)
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description


Army Fixed-Wing Ground Attack Aircraft

Army Fixed-Wing Ground Attack Aircraft PDF Author: U. S. Military
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781731421890
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Close Air Support (CAS) depends on close cooperation between ground and air units, predicated on mutual understanding and close proximity. CAS also depends on aviator training and aircraft characteristics. Despite predictions of air power's dominance, air-ground teams are the most effective employment of military power. This thesis demonstrates that the modern Army Combat Aviation Brigade mimics the WWII Tactical Air Command's effective, close working relationship between air and ground units. However, Army Aviation lacks fixed-wing attack aircraft, forcing the Army to rely on the Air Force for fixed-wing CAS. Utilizing non-organic means for critical functions violates unity of command and results in CAS performed by aircraft primarily designed for other missions. This situation is likely to worsen in the coming years. This thesis summarizes Army-Air Force CAS issues since WWII and argues that the Army requires an organic fixed wing attack aircraft to bridge the capability gap between its helicopters and USAF platforms at the tactical level. Fielding such aircraft would free the Air Force to focus on its broader missions while enhancing the capabilities of Army Aviation.On June 9 2014, a United States Air Force (USAF) B-1B bomber dropped two 500lb GPS-guided bombs on a team of Army Special Forces and Afghan security forces, killing five. Numerous errors on by the aircrew and ground element contributed to deaths on the ground, all of which are historically endemic to Close Air Support (CAS). The terminal controller was unfamiliar with the operating environment and the aircrew could not visually acquire either the friendly or the enemy positions from 12,000 feet above ground level. Because they believed the aircraft's targeting pod could identify friendly strobe lights, the air-ground team "collectively failed to effectively execute the fundamentals, which resulted in poor situation awareness and improper target identification." Sadly, when it comes to CAS, this type of tragic incident is too common.No military cooperation issue creates more acrimony than CAS. CAS has been contentious since the first aircraft teamed with ground forces and remains so today. These friction points are relative priority of CAS and Interdiction; operational control of CAS aircraft and; aircraft characteristics. The history of Army-Air Force CAS largely consists of poor initial efforts followed by the development of workable systems success as effective air-ground teams and aircraft developed on the battlefield. No organizational processes or technology has been able to bridge the Army-Air Force CAS divide. This thesis examines that divide, proposing an Army Fixed-Wing (FW) aircraft as a solution.

Evolution of Army Attack Aviation

Evolution of Army Attack Aviation PDF Author: U S Army Command and General Staff Coll
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781500974299
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 76

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Book Description
United States Army corps and division commanders pursued varied approaches to integrate Army attack aviation into their schemes of maneuver over the past thirty years. Two predominant schools of thought emerged: close combat attack or deep attacks. After focusing on deep attacks during the 1980s and 1990s, the attack aviation community drastically "about faced" towards supporting ground maneuver units in the close fight in mid-2003.This book analyzes the development and employment of attack aviation over the past three decades through the analogy of chaotic coupled pendulums to explore the influence of corps, divisions, ground maneuver brigades, and the Army Aviation branch upon aviation brigades. As the Army transitions out of sustained stability and counterinsurgency operations, the Army Aviation community should embrace the opportunity to explore methods for attack aviation to execute deep operations in support of corps and division operations while retaining the proficiency in integrated air-ground close combat.

The Transformation of U.S. Army Attack Aviation and Its Struggle for Relevance After the Cold War

The Transformation of U.S. Army Attack Aviation and Its Struggle for Relevance After the Cold War PDF Author: William Karl Jakola
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Airplanes, Military
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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Book Description


The Evolution of US Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946-76

The Evolution of US Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946-76 PDF Author: Robert A. Doughty
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Military art and science
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
This paper focuses on the formulation of doctrine since World War II. In no comparable period in history have the dimensions of the battlefield been so altered by rapid technological changes. The need for the tactical doctrines of the Army to remain correspondingly abreast of these changes is thus more pressing than ever before. Future conflicts are not likely to develop in the leisurely fashions of the past where tactical doctrines could be refined on the battlefield itself. It is, therefore, imperative that we apprehend future problems with as much accuracy as possible. One means of doing so is to pay particular attention to the business of how the Army's doctrine has developed historically, with a view to improving methods of future development.

21st Century U.S. Military Manuals

21st Century U.S. Military Manuals PDF Author: Department of Defense
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781549605277
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
The Multiservice Procedures for Aviation Urban Operations Field Manual (FM 3-06.1) covers the planning and conduct of air attacks in urban settings. Some highlights of the contents: "Urban areas generally function as centers of social, economic, industrial, and political power. These areas facilitate formal and informal civilian and military interaction, and can offer ready access to important resources, such as labor, water, technology, and information. Historically, United States (US) Forces have operated within, or in close proximity to urban areas. Demographic and population trends indicate that, in the future, a majority of the world's population will reside in urban areas. Trends toward increased urbanization increase the potential for US forces to operate in urban areas. US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC) doctrine recommends isolating and bypassing urban areas when possible due to the costs involved. Former Soviet Union doctrine also recommended avoiding large cities in favor of speed and maneuver. However, avoiding urban areas does not prevent an adversary from exploiting its defensive advantages. US Air Force (USAF) doctrine maintains that airpower's versatility and responsiveness allows the simultaneous application of mass and air maneuver, almost anywhere, from almost any direction. The speed, range, precision weapons, communications, command and control (C2), information gathering, and transportation capabilities of US military aircraft enable airpower to play a major, if not decisive, role in urban operations when proper tactics are employed. This is possible whether aviation operations are conducted independently, or in conjunction with the operations of friendly ground forces. Operations in Panama City, Baghdad, Mogadishu, Port Au Prince, Sarajevo, and Pristina, are a few examples where airpower has been influential in urban operations in the past. Aviation urban operations can be planned and conducted across the range of military operations. The two dominant characteristics affecting aviation urban operations are the existence of manmade construction and the presence of noncombatants. These operations may be conducted on or against objectives on a complex urban topology and its adjacent natural terrain. The compressed battlespace in the urban environment creates unique considerations for planning and conducting aviation operations. These include: (1) operations in urban canyons, (2) deconfliction in confined airspace, (3) restrictive rules of engagement (ROE), (4) difficulty in threat analysis, (5) an overload of visual cues, (6) the presence of noncombatants, (7) the potential for collateral damage, and (8) the increased risk of fratricide." This manual is produced by Headquarters, US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). As a bonus, this reproduction includes FM-1, The Army Field Manual, a capstone manual containing the vision for the Army - sold separately for $5.99. FM 1 establishes the fundamental principles for employing Landpower. The most important of these are the Army's operational concept and the fundamentals that support it. They form the foundation for all Army doctrine. All Soldiers should understand and internalize them. FM 1 describes the American profession of arms, the Army's place in it, and what it means to be a professional Soldier. This is a privately authored news service and educational publication of Progressive Management.

Future Roles of Army Aviation in Large Scale Combat Operations - Case Study of Persian Gulf War, Task Force Normandy, Shift Toward Combat with Near-Peer Or Peer Threat, Legacy Fleet Modifications

Future Roles of Army Aviation in Large Scale Combat Operations - Case Study of Persian Gulf War, Task Force Normandy, Shift Toward Combat with Near-Peer Or Peer Threat, Legacy Fleet Modifications PDF Author: U. S. Military
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781699462836
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
The U.S. Army is experiencing a cultural shift away from years of low intensity, counter-insurgency operations toward large scale combat operations with a near-peer or peer threat. The shift includes a major change from brigade-centric operations to divisions and corps serving as the primary warfighting headquarters. Headquarters must now not only provide resources, but simultaneously direct the conflict in multiple domains, including space and cyber-space. U.S. Army Aviation can be a significant force multiplier, but only when used effectively. Army Aviation continues to gain ground through lessons learned from the readiness training centers on how best to reach deep in multi-domain operations. Army Aviation faces many obstacles to continue to be a force multiplier. The 2015 Field Manual 3-04, Army Aviation, set new expectations for large scale combat operations, but improvements in training, equipment, and doctrine are necessary to achieve what FM 3-04 demands conceptually. The complex battlefield set by near-peer and peer threats restricts Army Aviation's freedom of maneuver with anti-access and area-denial systems. To respond to such threats, Army Aviation currently fields upgrades to its legacy fleet of helicopters, but this approach consumes resources that could go towards the future vertical lift fleet. For Army Aviation to be ready to fight today, they must continue to improve the legacy fleet. However, the more Army Aviation spends on updating the legacy fleet, the less it is investing in the future airframes. Additionally, the current fleet has limited potential for further modifications. The key question is whether such modifications to the legacy fleet will be enough to combat the challenges faced in the complex and lethal battlefield of large scale combat operations against a near-peer or peer threat. This monograph addresses those questions surrounding the shift from counter-insurgency to large scale combat operations for Army Aviation.This compilation also includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.Since the American Civil War, Army Aviation has played a role in U.S. warfare. Army Aviation has continually adapted and strived to provide the ground force commander additional options, from deep attacks to reconnaissance, air assaults, medical evacuations, and more. In the most recent war on terrorism, Army Aviation provided these capabilities to the ground force commander which enabled numerous options, saving thousands of lives. While Army Aviation has proven itself as a combat multiplier in the current fight, past results may not be indicative of future success. Former combat aviation brigade (CAB) commander Colonel Jimmy Blackmon observed that "pilots are the products of their experiences." Currently, there is a pressing challenge to create realistic training opportunities to prepare leadership for the rising threat of conflict with a peer or near-peer adversary. Army Aviation's primary focus over the past decade focused on meeting the requirement for training and completing missions during specific rotational deployments to stable theaters, with a focus on environmental conditions. In the Gulf War, close air support was not the primary goal for the air component. However, in the mountains of the Regional Command East, Afghanistan, it was essential to the mission. The primary objective for the limited contingency was close air support, but as the U.S. Army gravitates back to the pressing challenge of Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO), Army Aviation must be prepared to increase their deep attack and interdiction capabilities. LSCO, unlike counter-insurgency (COIN), will challenge the Army in all domains. In recent history, the Army has assumed air superiority.

Will United States Army Attack Aviation be a Relevant Combat Multiplier in Future Conflicts

Will United States Army Attack Aviation be a Relevant Combat Multiplier in Future Conflicts PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
As the U.S. Army transforms, in terms of (1) a lighter, more rapidly deployable force and (2) its doctrine, significant criticism has been cast as to the effectiveness and relevance of attack helicopters. Critics of attack aviation have raised doubts based on the performance of attack aviation during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. While it would be foolish to argue that attack aviation is the answer to every situation and is a perfect force multiplier, it by no means is irrelevant and ineffective. Based on lessons learned from both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Army attack aviation will adjust its tactics, techniques and procedures and will continue to be an effective and relevant force on the future battlefield.

Command Of The Air

Command Of The Air PDF Author: General Giulio Douhet
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1782898522
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 620

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Book Description
In the pantheon of air power spokesmen, Giulio Douhet holds center stage. His writings, more often cited than perhaps actually read, appear as excerpts and aphorisms in the writings of numerous other air power spokesmen, advocates-and critics. Though a highly controversial figure, the very controversy that surrounds him offers to us a testimonial of the value and depth of his work, and the need for airmen today to become familiar with his thought. The progressive development of air power to the point where, today, it is more correct to refer to aerospace power has not outdated the notions of Douhet in the slightest In fact, in many ways, the kinds of technological capabilities that we enjoy as a global air power provider attest to the breadth of his vision. Douhet, together with Hugh “Boom” Trenchard of Great Britain and William “Billy” Mitchell of the United States, is justly recognized as one of the three great spokesmen of the early air power era. This reprint is offered in the spirit of continuing the dialogue that Douhet himself so perceptively began with the first edition of this book, published in 1921. Readers may well find much that they disagree with in this book, but also much that is of enduring value. The vital necessity of Douhet’s central vision-that command of the air is all important in modern warfare-has been proven throughout the history of wars in this century, from the fighting over the Somme to the air war over Kuwait and Iraq.