This study examines the current level of detailed integration in close air support (CAS) planning, with the focus on air component support of Army conventional forces, to determine if changes should be made to the current concept of operations for...
The United States Army recently released a white paper on Concepts for the Objective Force. This force will be capable of simultaneous engagement by air-ground maneuver elements at operational and tactical distances by employing future advanced...
Close air support (CAS) is a vital component of air operations in AirLand Battle. The accelerated tempo and complexity of operations on the extended battlefield requires rapid response from CAS in support of a fluid, complex ground combat,...
The Navy's aircraft carrier battle groups have historically been the first to arrive in troubled areas around the world, and will strive to do so in the future. As a result of this commitment, Navy CAS has played a role in the close fight for Army...
The Pacific Ocean Areas (POA) Casualty Report No. II contains army casualty statistics for the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Palaus and Leyte campaigns. Includes POA battle casualties and non-battle casualties.
Throughout the history of close air support (CAS) there exists a consistent theme of friction and interservice rivalry. There are periods where close coordination and cooperation led to extremely effective CAS. Experiences in North Africa during...
This monograph examines the question: Should the CAS distribution process, as practiced under the ATO system be modified to task organize distributed USAF assets into the corps organization for a definite period of time or task? It proposes a...
Joint and service component vision statements (Vision 2010, Army Vision 2010, and the United States Air Force's Global Engagement, A Vision for the 21st Century Air Force), address the need for full spectrum dominance on the battlefield of the...
This monograph discusses the linkage between air support and the division deep battle from 1982-1994. In 1982, the Army introduced battlefield air interdiction (BAI) as an important asset for the corps and division deep battle. After the Army...
Recent joint force thinking has espoused effects-based operations (EBO) as an evolutionary, some say revolutionary, approach to warfare. The 2003 Joint Operations Concepts document states, “The Joint Force uses an effects-based approach.” With...
This paper traces the development of close air support (CAS) by the United States Marine Corps in World War II. The study examines how the Marines started developing their doctrine in the 1930s and adapted their (CAS) system based on the outcome of...
This thesis investigates the question: Will Close Air Support (CAS) in the year 2000 be as close as CAS today? Today's CAS is dependent upon the ground commander's perception of the situation, and focuses primarily on forces beyond the commander's...
This monograph discusses the question of whether or not the USAF should consider using heavy bombers in the Close Air Support (CAS) mission. To answer this question, the monograph develops a bomber CAS concept of operations. The validity of this...
The joint close air support (JCAS) community is struggling to determine future close air support (CAS) employment tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Since 1996, the JCAS community, lead by an Office of the Secretary of Defense JCAS Joint...
This thesis investigates the question: Should inertially guided air-to-ground weapons be used to perform Close Air Support (CAS)? With inertially guided weapons it is possible to strike targets with precision, even when crewmen in attack aircraft...
Since the birth of the airplane, airpower has been used in an attempt to influence the outcome of ground battle. The effectiveness of the early aircraft in this role was limited by early aircraft design and the lack of standardized methods of...
This monograph examines the relative effectiveness of three key Air Force ground support missions: Close Air Support (CAS), Battlefield Air Interdiction (BAI), and Air Interdiction (AI). The costs and benefits associated with each mission are...
This study investigates the viability of employing unmanned aerial vehicles in the close air support role on the future battlefield of 2010 and beyond. The concept of employing unmanned aerial vehicles in a strike role is currently in the advanced...
Close Air Support is inherently one of the most joint endeavors in today’s military. Coordination and integration of air and ground assets are the keys to successful close air support. Command and control at the operational level can set the...
Since 2001, U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft have flown combat sorties with abnormally high flight durations while participating in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. These longer sortie durations have added previously unanticipated...