Human Aspects of Air Force Operations: The Roles of Social, Cultural, and Political Knowledge and Skill in the Full Spectrum of Multidomain Operations
Abstract
The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) emphasizes the threat to U.S. interests posed by the reemergence of long-term strategic competition, rapid dispersion of technologies, and new concepts of warfare and competition that span the entire spectrum of conflict (Department of Defense [DoD], 2018). As revisionist, near-peer powers, China and Russia are noted as the most important competitors, both in terms of influence and capability, while Iran and North Korea remain formidable rogue regimes, and violent extremist groups like ISIL and al Qaeda continue to threaten terror attacks. In answering the strategys call for a more lethal, resilient, and rapidly innovating Joint Force, the U.S. Air Force and the other services are placing considerable emphasis on integrating the broad range of U.S. operational capabilities into multi-domain operations as a means of addressing complex threats. While the concept involves harnessing new, more lethal technologies and concepts of operation, it also recognizes that war has never been primarily about destruction. It has always been a contest of opposing independent wills, and force has always been a tool used to manipulate an adversarys will to fight. Multi-domain operations are ultimately aimed at influencing adversaries and operating with allies. To do both of these with the greatest efficiency, the Air Force must understand where the best leverage points are and how to best utilize them with the application of air, space, and cyber power. An understanding of human aspects of military operationsor the social, cultural, political, and psychological elements that determine the motivations and actions of both our partner nations and our adversariesplays a role in identifying these leverage points.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1116772
Entities
People
- Caroline Baxter
- David E. Thaler
- Kathleen Reedy
- Kirsten M. Keller
- Miriam Matthews
- Phillip Padilla
- Ryan Haberman
- William Mackenzie
- Yuliya Shokh
Organizations
- RAND Corporation