Fighter Basing Options to Improve Access to Advanced Training Ranges

Abstract

The 2018 National Defense Strategy emphasizes the need for the United States to restore warfighting readiness and field a lethal force capable of defeating aggression by a major power. One element in meeting this goal is enabling units to train in an environment that is sufficiently representative of the threats posed by a major power. For U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter pilots, this means training at ranges with appropriate airspace, threat emitters, targets, and electronic support measures. The USAF has determined that few, if any, existing training ranges have the capabilities to provide fighter pilots with advanced training. The Office of the Director of Training and Readiness, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force is developing an operational training infrastructure investment plan to upgrade certain ranges with sufficient capabilities to provide fighter pilots with advanced training. This investment strategy shifts the current distributed investment across 30-plus ranges to a more-focused investment in fewer ranges. In addition to range upgrades, the USAF may also consider potential fighter squadron restationing options that would improve access to upgraded training ranges. This report details RAND Project AIR FORCEs (PAF) framework, tools, and analysis showing the potential effectiveness of different combinations of range upgrades and squadron restationing while also considering costs and risks. The research reported here was commissioned by the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Energy and conducted within the Resource Management Program of PAF as part of a fiscal year 2019 project entitled Optimal Basing Posture for U.S.-Based Forces.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1122428

Entities

People

  • Anna J. Wirth
  • Anu Narayanan
  • Bart E. Bennett
  • Bradley Deblois
  • Dara Gold
  • James Syme
  • John A. Ausink
  • Patrick Mills
  • Rahim Ali
  • Ronald G McGarvey
  • Russell H. Williams

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Base Closures
  • Business Administration
  • Civil Engineering
  • Climate Change
  • Cost Analysis
  • Cost Estimates
  • Electrical Grids
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Geography
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Maintenance
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Resource Management
  • Risk Analysis
  • Sea Level Rise
  • Space Force
  • Storm Surges
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space