Close Air Support: Which Way Do We Go?

Abstract

One can hardly pick up a publication in the defense arena these days without seeing an article on close air support. The need to replace the aging A-10 ground attack fighter-the "Warthog"-has fanned the flames of a controversy that has smoldered since World War II. Under the new spirit of jointness ushered in by Goldwater-Nichols, the word from the Chairman sounded sensible. On 2 November 1989, the new Chairman, General Colin Powell, forwarded a new roles and functions report, reversing Crowe's position on CAS and supporting the Army and Air Force service chiefs. Why all this energy surrounding the close air support mission? Is CAS broken? Are the customers not satisfied? Is the notion of close air support obsolete? This article will survey the close air support debate and offer a perspective.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA516342

Entities

People

  • Thomas Garrett

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Attack Aircraft
  • Attack Helicopters
  • Combat Areas
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Tactical Air Support
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.