A Bold 21st Century Strategy for U.S. Airborne ISR
Abstract
The airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of the U.S. Army could provide the Joint Commands their essential tools to support battlefield interdiction in the 21st Century. Various sensor packages are available today to provide the intelligence and/or information needed to project multiple modes of firepower on target. The U.S. Army has been adding to its existing ISR fleet by fielding unique sensor-integrated Quick Reaction Capabilities (QRC) to answer the short term ISR needs of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). These ISR QRC assets have helped increase the density of ISR capabilities across the battlefield, but they have been operationally integrated without meeting the persistent unblinking eye requirement. These assets were procured using un-forecasted supplemental funding, and more importantly, they were acquired without a guiding strategy to help identify the requirements and develop an integrated master plan to sustain the U.S. Army's ISR capabilities into the future. The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the past and present issues that have impacted development of today's combat ISR capabilities within the U.S. Army, and to recommend an affordable ISR strategy to support the long term ISR needs of the GWOT.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 13, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA467241
Entities
People
- Jack L. Kimberly
Organizations
- United States Army War College