Close Air Support: Actions Needed to Enhance Friendly Force Tracking Capabilities and Fully Evaluate Training

Abstract

The use of ordnance delivered by aircraft to support U.S. military forces that are in close proximity to enemy forces on the ground requires detailed planning, seamless communications, and effective training. Mistakes in communications or procedures used to identify and maintain an awareness of the positions of friendly forces on the battlefield during CAS can result in the loss of U.S. military personnel. Senate Report 116-48 and House Report 116-120, accompanying bills for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, included provisions for GAO to evaluate issues related to friendly-force identification capabilities in CAS missions. Among other things, this report evaluates the extent to which DOD has (1) implemented initiatives to enhance friendly-force identification capabilities during CAS, and (2) evaluated training for forces that participate in CAS. GAO analyzed documentation and interviewed officials regarding DOD efforts to develop and implement friendly force tracking capabilities for CAS; reviewed CAS training programs; and analyzed training data, including the number of hours that DOD used non-military contract aircraft for CAS training from 2017 through 2019. What GAO Recommends GAO is making 11 recommendations to DOD, including that DOD implement and assess initiatives to improve the interoperability of digital systems used in CAS and take additional steps to evaluate the training for certain forces that participate in CAS missions. DOD concurred with the recommendations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1147478

Entities

People

  • Alice Paszel
  • Cary Russell
  • Christopher Gezon
  • Joshua Leiling
  • Kevin Keith
  • Lillian M. Yob
  • Matthew Ullengren
  • Michael Shaughnessy
  • Michael Silver
  • Nirmal Chaudhary
  • Sarah Veale
  • William Reeves

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Airframes
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Communication Channels
  • Congress
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Control Systems
  • Digital Communications
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Information Systems
  • Military Aircraft
  • Military Force Levels
  • Military Science
  • Organizational Structure
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Situational Awareness
  • Tactical Air Support
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Training Management
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation