The Direct Attack on Direct Attack - Dembosky, Andrew D

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Résumé :

Several airpower experts in the Air Force, and Navy, have argued for the creation of a third counterland mission, termed Direct Attack (DA). This mission would reflect lessons from Operations ALLIED FORCE (OAF), ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF), and IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) and articulate airpower's capability to operate as a scheme of maneuver against enemy military forces, irrespective of the presence of friendly surface forces. To date the USAF has rejected the proposal for DA, choosing instead to broaden the definition of air interdiction (AI). This paper contends that broadening the definition of AI better serves the USAF than creating DA. Interviews with officers from the Air Force Doctrine Center and secondary sources (e.g. RAND reports, SAASS papers, books) reveal four arguments against creating DA: 1) USAF senior leadership concern that DA does not foster jointness...

Biographie:
3) DA will not solve the difficult issue of placement of the fire support coordination line (FSCL) and inhibits flexibility on a dynamic battlefield...

Sommaire:
2) airpower's inherent capability as a maneuver element and the move toward effects-based operations (EBO) do not necessitate the new mission...