The Fire Support Coordination Line: Should it Delineate Area Responsibilities Between Air and Ground Commanders
Abstract
This monograph examines if the Fire Support Coordination Line (FSCL) should delineate area responsibilities to air and ground commanders. During Operation Desert Storm the Joint Force Commander (JFC) made the Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC) responsible for the area beyond the FSCL. This facilitated the execution of the theater interdiction effort but forced ground commanders to coordinate with the JFACC before engaging targets beyond the FSCL. This use of the FSCL differed from joint and army doctrine, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Combined Forces Command (CFC) practice. This monograph begins by describing the evolution of the FSCL, giving its current definition, and examining how it was used during Operation Desert Storm and is used by NATO and the CFC. The monograph then uses John Warden's key force concept and Martin Van Creveld's theory about command to develop criteria for analyzing alternative answers to the research question. After analyzing alternatives, the monograph recommends a system and describes its implications for joint commanders
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 14, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA274102
Entities
People
- Lester C. Jauron
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College