Joint Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (J-SEAD) Developing a Realistic Strategy for Today's Operational Artist.
Abstract
Air superiority has become a necessity of modem warfare. Airspace dominance provides overwhelming operational and tactical advantage. It is the realization of this fact that has spawned a universal effort to develop credible air defense. Almost as quickly as warfare took flight, attempts to bring it back to earth began. Suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) was the answer to this air power counter History shows the leap frog effect that technology advancements in enemy air defense and SEAD have had on each other. Defense radio detection and ranging (RADAR) equipment facilitated the development of RADAR jamming and chaff. RADAR guided surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and antiaircraft artillery (AAA) created the requirement for antiradiation missiles (ARM), drones, and decoys. Linking early warning and acquisition RADARS to SAM sites with radios and data links hastened the development of communication and data link jamming. Computer-aided networking between sites into integrated air defense systems (IADS) have produced complex service-based SEAD strategies. In this post Cold War world, IADS evolution continues to advance as advanced SAMs and digital integration systems are peddled to the highest Third World bidder. Unfortunately SEAD improvements have failed to keep pace. Dedicated SEAD assets are dwindling without replacement. This asset erosion has rendered single service SEAD approaches ineffective as an IADS counter. The answer is development of comprehensive operational joint SEAD strategy that offers synergism of both traditional and nontraditional cross-service SEAD assets.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 20, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA312078
Entities
People
- David B. Woods
Organizations
- Naval War College