Maintaining the Army's Conventional Airborne Assault Capability
Abstract
The Joint Operational Access Concept of 2012 asserts that a military incapable of gaining access loses its "utility as an instrument of national power." Since July 1940, the United States military has maintained a conventional airborne force to reinforce that capability of our nation. Although airborne units have served the United States in every major conflict since World War II, only seven parachute assaults have been conducted in combat since 1945. So, if the United States rarely utilizes its airborne capability, is there still relevance for maintaining airborne units inside the conventional force structure? This is a question that several Army officers, politicians, and military scholars have been debating for decades, but the discussion was reignited in a 2015 Army Study by Marc DeVore which concluded that the modern-day existence of paratroopers is not a product of their operational success or necessity, but rather a strong institutionalization within the services. This study does not attempt to argue for large-scale, high-intensity airborne operations on todays modern battlefield. Rather, it seeks to examine how the airborne community has adapted to criticism since 1945 and asserts the need for maintaining the force as a rapidly deployable, expeditionary, forcible entry capability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 28, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1177906
Entities
People
- Peter D. Thompson
Organizations
- Marine Corps University