Effects Based Assessment in the United States Air Force
Abstract
ASSESSMENT IS THE GUIDING LIGHT OF STRATEGY. IT IS THE GLUE THAT BINDS THE PLAN TO THE ULTIMATE END-STATE. UNFORTUNATELY ASSESSMENT CONTINUES TO PLAGUE AIRMEN AS CONSISTENTLY REFLECTED IN POST-WAR ANALYSES DATING BACK TO WW II. A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH ASSESSMENT STEMS FROM A TENDENCY TO FOCUS ON ATTRITION-BASED METHODOLOGY. RATHER THAN ANALYZING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A GIVEN ACTION WITH RESPECT TO THE PLANNED STRATEGY AIRMEN REMAIN SHACKLED TO THE DIRECT EFFECTS OF A GIVEN ATTACK. A RELATIVELY RECENT MOVE TO INCORPORATE EFFECTS-BASED THINKING ACROSS THE AIR FORCE HAS BROUGHT THE SUBJECT OF EFFECTS-BASED ASSESSMENT (EBA) IN THE LIGHT. A COMPARISON OF EBA TO ITS ATTRITION-BASED PREDECESSOR REVEALS KEY STRENGTHS TO THE EFFECT-BASED METHODOLOGY. DURING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM CENTAF PLANNERS ATTEMPTED TO IMPLEMENT THE EBA CONSTRUCT INTO THE JFACC's OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS. UNFORTUNATELY THE EBA CONSTRUCT WAS NOT CONDUCIVE TO THE RAPID PACE SHORT DURATION HIGHLY DYNAMIC NATURE OF OIF. GIVEN CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL DOCTRINAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS IN THE CAOC EBA CANNOT SUCCEED IN A FUTURE OIF-TYPE WAR. HOWEVER CHANGES WITHIN THESE THREE BROAD CATEGORIES CAN HELP MAKE EBA RHETORIC A REALITY. FURTHERMORE THE METHODOLOGY IN DETERMINING THE UTILITY OF THE EBA CONSTRUCT MAY BE APPLIED TO OTHER CONSTRUCTS AS WELL. SINCE THE FAST PACE SHORT DURATION AND DYNAMIC NATURE OF OIF REFLECTS THE TYPES OF WARS THE AIR FORCE WILL FIGHT IN THE FUTURE THIS ANALYSIS IS NOT ONLY RELEVANT FOR THE EBA CONSTRUCT BUT ANY ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCT THE AIR FORCE ADOPTS AS WELL.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA477005
Entities
People
- Neil T. Allen
Organizations
- Air University