Strike Force: A Mission Essential Task for the XVIII Airborne Corps.
Abstract
In March 1999, the Army established action teams to design a Strike Force with the mission to fill a recognized operational void by providing regional CINCs with forces that are adaptable, fully competent, and effective across the full spectrum of military operations. It will be based on a standing headquarters that will be able to accept forces from across the active and reserve force structure, and operate as a part of a joint or combined operation. This headquarters would be capable of serving as a Land Forces (LANDFOR) headquarters and potentially as a Joint Task Force headquarters. The Strike Force embodies characteristics emerging from current Force XXI experimentation and Army After Next (AAN) programs and studies. It is a force designed for rapid deployability that would have the capability to deliver a decisive military response throughout the world. The purpose is to create a force that, although light enough to be rapidly deployed, maintains the capability to defeat a heavy enemy force through deep maneuver, speed, and information dominance. There is a need to determine if a separate Strike Force is a new, complementary, or redundant force when compared to the mission and operational and organizational (O&O) concepts of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Aside from the budgetary implications of creating a separate specialized force are the issues of mission duplication, effective command and control, and joint and combined training. This monograph examines the current concepts, missions, and capabilities emerging from the theoretical study of future Strike Forces. These concepts, missions, and capabilities are then compared to those of the Army's contingency Corps - XVIII Airborne Corps. This comparison will answer the question: Do the concepts, missions, and capabilities of the envisioned Strike Force fill an operational requirement that the XVIII Airborne Corps cannot meet?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 27, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA370355
Entities
People
- Chris R. Toner
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College