How Should the Joint Force Handle the Command and Control of Unmanned Aircraft Systems?
Abstract
The purpose of this monograph is to formulate an improvement to, and highlight deficiencies in, the current command and control of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). The monograph consists of four sections. Section 1 describes the difficulty associated with classifying aircraft and defines key terms associated with UAVs. Section 2 examines the historical circumstances that precipitated the centralization of the command and control of air power in the U.S. military. This section discusses the first American attempt to centralize air power in World War I, the North African Campaign during World War II, and the various attempts to centralize the command and control of air power from the Korean War through Operation Desert Storm. Section 3 describes two current command and control systems for UAVs. The first system is that of the Army, which acknowledges the need to centralize UAV command and control. The second system is that of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center. This section concludes with a discussion of the legal missions assigned to the services and a newly passed law that may prove to be unconstitutional. Section 4 presents the three recommendations that emerged from this research. The first is that the Department of Defense must appoint executive agents for UASs. The second is that all Tactical 3, Operational/Theater, and Strategic UASs be centralized under the command and control of the air component commander. The third recommendation is to terminate the MQ-1 Predator program and increase procurement of the MQ-4 Sky Warrior aircraft.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 18, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA499695
Entities
People
- Scott R. Cerone
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College