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State the mission and priorities of the USAF<!--EndFragment-->
- The mission of the United States Air Force is to fly, fight and win … in air, space and cyberspace.
- Priorities
- Continue to strengthen the nuclear enterprise
- Partner with joint and coalition team to win today’s fight
- Develop and care for Airmen and their families
- Modernize our air and space inventories, organizations, and training
- Recapture acquisition excellence
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State the function of the Secretary of the Air Force, AF Chief of Staff and the Chief Master Sergreant of the AF
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- Secretary of AF:
- OTE, welfare of active duty, Air national guard AF Reserves, civilians and their families
- Assures AF preparedness
- Chief of Staff
- Responsible to Sec of AF for efficiency and operations readiness
- Chief Master Sergeant of AF
- Highest enlisted level
- Advises Sec of AF and Chief of Staff on enlisteds
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List the USAF Organizational Structure
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- Constitution
- President
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Secretary of the Air Force
- Chief of Staff, USAF
- HQ, USAF
- Major Command
- Numbered Air Force
- Wing
- Group
- Squadron
- Flight
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Identify key elements within and related to a typical AF Wing structure
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- Only echelon that can sustain itself indefinitely
- Usually commanded by Brig Gen (or Colonel)
- Wing staff and four groups
- Controller squadron
- operations, maintenance, mission support, or medical groups
- Groups are 4+ squadrons
- Both operations and support activity
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Define each principle of war
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- <!--StartFragment-->
Unity of command: all efforts should be integrated into common role
- Objective: political and military objectives in unison.
- Offensive: provide means for purpose, scope and intensity; seize the initiative and exploit it.
- Mass: concentrating combat power at specific time and place. (speed, range, …, lethality)
- Maneuver: air power is faster than ground troops
- Economy of force: judicious employment of forces
- Security: diminish unexpected disadvantage by concealing our efforts.
- Surprise: attack at TPM for which they are not prepared.
- Simplicity: keep plans as simple as possible
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List the Tenets of Air Power
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Centralized Control / Decentralized Execution
Flexibility / Versatility
Synergistic Effects
Persistence
Concentration
Priority
Balance
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State how the tenets of air power complement the principles of war.
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While the principles of war provide general guidance on the application of military forces, the tenets provide more specific considerations for the employment of air, space, and cyberspace capabilities. They reflect the specific lessons of air, space, and cyberspace capabilities throughout history.<!--EndFragment-->
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Describe each Air Force function<!--EndFragment-->
- Counter air: air superiority/ supremacy / parity
- Counter land: air interdiction, close air support
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Command and Control (C2): occurs at strategic, operational, and tactical levels
- Strategic Attack
- Air Mobility: <!--StartFragment-->Airlift, Air Refueling, Air Mobility Support, Aeromedical Evacuation
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- Nuclear Operations: deterrence.
- Space Operations: Global Space Mission Operations (GSMO), Space Support (SS), Space Control (SC).
- Cyberspace Operations
- <!--StartFragment-->Global Integrated Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
- Personnel Recovery Operations
- Combat Support: The capability to field, base, protect, support, and sustain Air Force forces across the ROMO (Range of Military Operations).
Special Operations
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Define the three levels of Air Force Doctrine
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Basic
- Most fundamental and enduring beliefs that describe and guide the proper use, presentation, and organization of forces in military actions
- NOT a checklist or scientific formula…provides common frame of reference
- Provides an Airman’s perspective on organizing and employing air and space forces
Operational
- More detailed… how to organize and employ military forces and applies the principles of basic doctrine to military actions.
Tactical
- Most detailed…describes proper employment of specific A/F Assets …it’s the “specific tactics to accomplish specific missions.”
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Identify the operations associated with the Functions of Counterland and Air Mobility.
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- Counterland: air interdiction, close air support
- Air Mobility: airlift, air refueling, air mobility support, aeromedical evacuation
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Identify the role of the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<!--EndFragment-->
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President:
- Determines the security needs of the nation and then takes courses of action to ensure that those are met.
- Chairs the National Security Council (NSC).
Secretary of Defense:
- Principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy and policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the DOD, and for the execution of approved policy.
Joint Chiefs of Staff:
- Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the President and the Secretary of Defense, members of the JCS serve as the communications chain of command and military staff to the unified and specified commanders.
- The JCS prepares strategic plans and provides for the strategic direction of the Armed Forces.
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State the role of the Armed Forces Policy Council.
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Advises the Secretary of Defense on matters of broad policy relating to the Armed Forces
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Define unified and specified command.
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Specified:
- Having a broad, continuing mission, a specified command is normally composed of forces from one military service.
- Currently no Specified Commands in existence.
- The provision is left open so in the future if need arises, we have the command framework already in-place.
Unified:
- Having a broad continuing mission, a unified command comprises forces from two or more military services and falls under one commander.
- 9 unifed commands: 6 geographic, 3 functional
- USCENTCOM, USEUCOM, USPACOM, USNORTHCOM, USSOUTHCOM, USAFRICOM
- US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), and US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)
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Can command a joint task force – these are limited in time and place
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List the primary missions of the six geographically based unified combatant commands.
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USCENTCOM
- With national and international partners, USCENTCOM promotes cooperation among nations, responds to crises, and deters or defeats state and nonstate aggression, and supports development and, when necessary, reconstruction in order to establish the conditions for regional security, stability, and prosperity.
- (Middle East)
USEUCOM
- USEUCOM conducts military operations, international military engagements, and interagency partnering to enhance transatlantic security and defend the United States forward.
- (Europe and Eurasia)
USPACOM
- USPACOM protects and defends, in concert with other US Government agencies, the territory of the United States, its people, and its interests. With allies and partners, USPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Asia-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression, and, when necessary, fighting to win.
USNORTHCOM
- USNORTHCOM partners to conduct Homeland Defense and Civil Support operations within the assigned area of responsibility to defend, protect, and secure the United States and its interests.
USSOUTHCOM
- Ready to conduct joint and combined full-spectrum military operations and support whole-of-government efforts to enhance regional security and cooperation.
- (South America)
USAFRICOM
- USAFRICOM protects and defends the national security interests of the United States by strengthening the defense capabilities of African states and regional organizations and, when directed, conducts military operations, in order to deter and defeat transnational threats and to provide a security environment conducive to good governance and development.
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State the three enduring truths that describe the fundamental nature of war.
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- an instrument of policy, strategy, or culture.
- a complex and chaotic human endeavor.
- a clash of opposing wills.
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Define war according to Clausewitz
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- Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) On War
- ”. . . War is an act of violence to compel our opponent to do our will.”
- “War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale… Each strives by physical force to compel the other to submit to his will… War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to do our will.”
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Identify the basic themes of war
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- Politics and violence are intertwined
- War is policy “…that fights battles instead of writing notes”
- War is the continuation of politics with the addition of other means
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Differentiate among the four viewpoints on war: Pacifism, Realism, Holy War, and Just War Theory
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Realism
- Wars are clashes of power and interest
- Moral constraints should never be put above a nation’s self-interest
- Focuses on military necessity, where all methods can or should be used to achieve victory:
- Burning of Atlanta in Civil War
- Bombing civilian centers in WWII
Holy War
- Wars aren’t merely human affairs:
- Divine instruments of judgment
- Authorized by God
- God responsible for outcome
- Cosmic battle between Good and Evil
Pacifism
- Opposes war as a means of settling disputes and advocates use of arbitration, surrender, or even migration
- Spectrum ranges:
- Avoidance of war at all costs
- War only as a last resort
Just War Theory
- Killing is morally unacceptable…
- Determine when war is morally justified and define actions that are permissible
- Focuses on:
- Protection of non-combatants
- Wage war by clearly defined rules
Bottom line: Fight for a just cause and employ just means
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List the three factors that dominate war
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- Fog
- Friction
- Chance
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Describe the evolution of warfare according to Alan Beyerchen’s taxonomy of four world wars.
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World War I—The Chemists’ War
- Decisive factor: New applications of chemistry and chemical engineering
- Synthesis of gunpowder allowed war to continue long after natural supply of nitrates was exhausted
- Development of weapons like poison gas was necessitated by stalemate of trench warfare
World War II—The Physicists’ War
- Application of physics theories allowed for development of radar
- Physics allowed for advancements in wireless communications
- One major result—The atomic bomb!
World War III—The Information Researchers’ War
- Investment in developing more effective information gathering capabilities
- Exploitation of intelligence gathering systems played vital role
- US ability to exploit intelligence led to the winning of the Cold War
World War IV—The Social Scientists’ War
- Social sciences are becoming the difference makers
- Knowledge about other cultures will be vital to winning this war
- Winning the hearts and minds means winning the war
- The focus must be on capturing the psycho-cultural high ground
- Allows us to access new “weapons of war” like understanding and empathy
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Describe Building Partnerships
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- “People are, in many respects, the decisive terrain” - Gen David Petraeus
- “Airmen interacting with international airmen to develop, guide, and sustain relationships for mutual benefit and security.”
- Purpose: reduce instability, prevent terrorist attacks, build partner capacities, reduce potential for expanded conflict
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Identify the Air Force defintion of culture
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Culture is the creation, maintenance, and transformation across generations of semi-shared patterns of meaning, sense-making, affiliation, action, and organization by groups<!--EndFragment-->
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Identify knowledge, skills and attitudes that led to Cross-Cultural Perspective-Taking
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- Knowledge of factors that cause persons from other cultures to behave differently
- Skills for dealing with culture shock along with effective problem-solving and interpersonal communication skills
- Attitude of openness and willingness to learn about and accept cultural differences
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Define Cross-Cultural Competence<!--EndFragment-->
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- Culture-General: The ability to quickly and accurately comprehend, and then effectively act in any culturally complex environment to achieve the desired effect for the mission.
- Culture-Specific: An approach that emphasizes specific aspects of particular cultures, affording Airmen much of the knowledge and/or skills necessary to interact more competently.
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