Preparing for the Long War: Transformation of UAVS in Force Structure Planning for Joint Close Air Support Operations

Abstract

As the U. S. military is deeply engaged in the Global War on Terrorism, it must face the challenges of juggling transformation and combat operations around the globe. Special care must be given to satisfy the requirements of the combatant commander during a time of war and the long term requirement to maintain a credible military force capable of executing a major theater war in support of the U. S. National Security Strategy. The forces are stretched thin and equipment is starting to wear out. The nation's combat aircraft are older than they've even been in the past and new aircraft are not being developed and procured fast enough to replace the aging fleet. If current operations remain at their current levels, the nation could face an airpower capability shortfall if a scenario developed that required a major air operation in a combatant commander's overall campaign. The development and use of unmanned aerial vehicles must be carefully considered.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 14, 2006
Accession Number
ADA451217

Entities

People

  • Daren Sorenson

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Ground Control Stations
  • Military Aircraft
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs