During Operation Rolling Thunder, the United States Air Force was unprepared for the introduction of the SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile system into the North Vietnamese integrated air defense system (IADS). Following a series of aircraft...
This monograph discusses employment of the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter to determine whether the United States Army should use it as an asset to perform suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) missions. The Army does not utilize its aircraft to...
This thesis investigates the question: How should the U.S. Air Force (USAF) modify F-16 Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) training to ensure pilots have the operational flying experience and proficiency required to conduct effective Joint...
The importance of protecting limited aircraft assets cannot be overstated. The loss of a modern aircraft entails the probable loss of highly trained and experienced crews that took years to develop. Furthermore, if a target is missed because of...
This monograph identifies and examines the criterion for the acceptance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as tactical joint force multipliers. The concept for their use rests on historical validation as well as the realization that force...
America's recent experience in Afghanistan and Iraq proved that it is easier to get into war than it is to get out of it. These two conflicts bleed America, in terms of not only blood, but also its financial treasures. In an attempt to avoid these...
The Joint Forces Commander's (JFC) ability to execute an effective Joint Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (J-SEAD) campaign is critical. To best employ with limited assets, the JFC has to make intelligent use of available means to create favorable...
The importance of protecting limited aircraft assets cannot be overstated. The loss of a modern aircraft entails the probable loss of highly trained and experienced crews that took years to develop. Furthermore, if a target is missed because of...
Several significant events of the past decade have demonstrated the importance of tactical integrated air defense. These events include the air war over North Vietnam, the 1973 Middle East War, and the changes in Soviet offensive tactical air...
Operation Desert Storm was one of the most successful military campaigns in United States history. Coalition air forces, led by the United States, waged an intense air campaign designed to weaken the Iraqi army prior to commencement of the ground...
This monograph examines the ability of each service to support the joint suppression of enemy air defenses (J-SEAD). J-SEAD involves using all available forces, such as aircraft, artillery and electronic warfare, to effectively suppress enemy...
This monograph examines a concept considered an abomination to some airmen - operational air reserves. The study is exploratory in nature: searching applicable theory, historical examples, and contemporary developments for insights on air reserves....
This study establishes lessons, and draws conclusions from Israeli Air Force air-to-surface operations during the battle for Golan in October, 1973. The Israeli air mission and principal operational factors are identified and described. A...
Globally, potential adversaries are building ever more complex, stronger, and deeper fortifications which are largely immune to the current United States weapons inventory. Advanced construction and design techniques coupled with technological...
This thesis examines the employment of long-range missiles, such as the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile and the Army Tactical Missile System, in U.S. military operations from Operation DESERT STORM to the present. The thesis reviews long-range missile...
This monograph answers the question of whether operational air commanders have the necessary doctrinal tools to plan for effective airpower employment in gradually escalated, coercive warfare. It concludes that current Air Force doctrine does not...
The air and missile threat posed by hostile states and terrorist organizations to the continental United States is a reality. Violent extremist organizations such as al-Qa'ida, as well as rogue nations, such as Iran and North Korea, are actively...
Manned flight has been integral to the fight on the battlefield since World War I. World War II was the first large-scale showcase for aviation in the interdiction role while the Vietnam War heralded the advent of precision-guided munitions. During...
Through the study of past military experiences, especially the examination of common lessons from differing conflicts, implications for future warfare can be revealed. Common counterland lessons from three major US conflicts are the focus of this...
This thesis examines the intent of Iran's sea power strategy, and discovers that it is a definitive component of a coherent national security strategy of strategic deterrence designed to protect its strategic center of gravity--its oil....