The Role of Judge Advocates in a Joint Air Operations Center. A Counterpoint of Doctrine, Strategy, and Law
Abstract
The appearance of Joint Publication (Pub) 3-56.1, Command and Control for Joint Air Operations, on 14 November 1994 calmed 50 years of fervent debate among the military services about the control of airpower in a joint-operations area. This brief document codified a verity long held by Air Force leaders: centralized control and decentralized execution of air and space forces remain critical to force effectiveness. It also vested operational or tactical control of Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine air missions in a single officer-the joint force air component commander (JFACC), stating that "the authority and command relationships of the JFACC are established by the joint force commander. These typically include exercising operational control over assigned and attached forces and tactical control over other military capabilities/forces made available for tasking." In addition, Joint Pub 3-56.1 established the organization headed by the JFACC-a joint air operations center (JAOC). In this publication, the "wiring diagram" for the JAOC made it clear that a staff judge advocate advises the JFACC, his staff, and the JAOC's two core divisions-Combat Plans and Combat Operations. The staff judge advocate, as well as the JAOC's entire staff of attorneys and paralegals, must therefore be well versed in the joint and service doctrine that guides the activities of a JAOC. This article examines the judge advocate's duties during operations planning and during each stage of what some commanders refer to as the battle rhythm of the JAOC. It does not explain the law but illustrates the judge advocate's role in ensuring that the JFACC receives operational recommendations consistent with rules of engagement promulgated by the National Command Authorities (NCA), domestic and international law, and restraints and constraints specified by superior commanders. However, since the structure of the JAOC evolved from tactical air control centers used by Seventh Air Force during the war in Vie
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA529835
Entities
People
- Terrie M. Gent
Organizations
- Air University