Fighting within the A2AD Bubble: Applying Lessons Learned from the 1982 Falklands War for the Future Amphibious Task Force

Abstract

There are significant parallels between the 1982 Falklands War and future conflicts the U.S. military will face. Leading up to the Falklands War, the U.K.s military was slowly ending a protracted counterinsurgency conflict, facing budget and force reductions, and focusing on preventing the Soviet Union from invading NATO territory. Today, the focus for the U.S. military is a slow withdrawal from counterinsurgency, reduction in forces and budgets, and a renewed focus against potential Chinese and Russian threats. For both the near and long term, U.S. Naval forces face A2AD environments not only within the South China and Baltic Seas, but also within the Arc of Instability. Amphibious Task Forces (ATF), ESG/MEBs and ARG/MEUs, are more likely to continue crisis response in the Arc of Instability during the near term, next five to ten years. Considering the future operating environment, and the proliferation of A2ADweapon systems to U.S. adversaries, it is likely an ATF will end up in a Falklands type of scenario.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 05, 2017
Accession Number
AD1176627

Entities

People

  • Brandon H. Turner

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Amphibious Operations
  • Boats
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Marine Transportation
  • Military Aircraft
  • Military Organizations
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Nuclear Powered Submarines
  • Transport Aircraft
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Uss Mason
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies