AirLand Battle Redux: Evolutions of Air-Ground Integration from the Gulf War to Operation Iraqi Freedom
Abstract
The US Army's newest approach to combined arms integration is Multi-Domain Battle, the ability to create multiple dilemmas for an adversary while securing opportunities in a contested environment. The future battlefield is characterized by challenges to the air, space, and maritime domains largely uncontested since the end of the Cold War. Improvements in air defense systems, cyber capabilities, unmanned aerial vehicles, and range of conventional munitions threaten US superiority across the domains. This monograph compares the Army's search for a modern theory of warfare against the development of Air Land Battle doctrine and applications of joint firepower over the last twenty-five years. Specifically, this monograph examines three air-ground integration evolutions beginning with the Gulf War, then Operation Anaconda, and finally the drive to Baghdad in Operation Iraqi Freedom. By doing so, this monograph finds that lessons in organization, planning anchored by service interests, application of new technology, and emerging tactics, offers Multi-Domain Battle planners valuable insights for incorporating innovations on the modern battlefield. The challenges of integrating just the air and land domains demonstrate the complexities inherent with operations across multiple domains.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 24, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1071187
Entities
People
- Nicholas D. Milkovich
Organizations
- School of Advanced Military Studies