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1 1 (January 21, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govbdyu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Defense Primer: United States Airpower - nom go mppm qq\ , q I aS 11LIANJILiN, Updated January 21, 2020 Almost since the invention of heavier-than-air flight, control of the air has been seen as a military advantage. Over time, the United States has come to treat air superiority as a necessity, and built such capable air forces that no enemy aircraft has killed U.S. ground troops since 1953. Modern airpower is able to provide a full range of effects, from strategic operations at intercontinental ranges to direct support of troops in combat. Today, every branch of the U.S. military employs air forces for various purposes, employing nearly 14,000 aircraft. Figure I. U.S. Air Forces, 2019-2028 *- SS. -0rav, A-_~T - - - - - - - - fAS i( ---- ------ Wl .1-3, Vzs M 6 , I Z i__ Y J_ L:I IZ4 -- ---- ---- 55 S.,;, - --- ----------------- - ------- ----- ------------- ---- ------ ----------------- --------- Source: Department of Defense, Annual Aviation Inventory and Funding Plan, Fiscal Years (FY) 2019-2048, March 2018. T'he U,, ked Stat\- r k-e The bulk of U.S. airpower resides in the U.S. Air Force (USAF). With 501,500 active and reserve personnel and more than 5,000 aircraft, the USAF provides the capability to reach, observe, strike and/or carry people and materiel to any point on the globe. Four of the Air Force's five core missions directly involve applying airpower. Table I. Air Force Core Missions Source: U.S. Air Force, Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power for America at http://www.af.mil/Airpower4America.aspx. The Air Force fleet covers the full range of aerial capabilities, from fighters to intelligence aircraft, bombers, transports, and helicopters. Moreover, USAF airpower enables other military services to apply their forces directly. USAF cargo planes get Army and Marine troops and equipment to the battlefield, and aeromedical transport rapidly evacuates and treats injured troops. Air Force aerial reconnaissance assets give joint commanders real-time strategic and tactical intelligence. USAF tankers make worldwide deployments by joint and allied forces possible. And Air Force assets work directly with ground units to provide weapons on target when and where needed, and to secure them against attack from the air. Taken together, the Air Force sums up its core missions as providing Global Vigilance, Global Reach, and Global Power. .,,, Aviao,,-,, Helicopters capable of accompanying troops to provide tactical airlift, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and supporting fires form the backbone of Army aviation, about 3,600 of its more than 4,600 aircraft. The service also operates light transport, special operations, and intratheater airlift aircraft. The USAF provides heavy transport and longer-range missions. NavaO s ,Wi'on The U.S. Navy operates more than 2,500 aircraft (including about 900 fighters) in 10 air wings. Their unique asset is the ability to take their operating bases with them, as the Navy's 11 aircraft carriers (each with about 40 fighters plus other air assets) provide U.S. presence and operational capability far from home. Naval air assets are optimized for strike, ISR, and fleet defense. Kanine orps A-vuation The nearly 1,200 Marine Corps aircraft (including just over 400 fighters) operate from Navy ships, Marine amphibious ships, and land bases, including expeditionary land bases with short runways. Some Marine Corps tactical aircraft are capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing, a useful capability because Marine aircraft are deployed and operated as part of Marine air/ground task forces, in which aviation is integrated into the unit. While the military services offer different capabilities and provide the equipment, personnel, and training, under current joint operations doctrine, they fight as one force. A joint air component commander oversees all airpower in a given campaign, assigning targets and allocating forces as needs warrant, without regard for the service that owns a particular capability. M, 0r, pro'gN. - r ' - r The largest current DOD programs include the following: e The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter, a multi-service, multi-national program slated to acquire 2,456 jets for the USAF, Navy, and Marine Corps. * Air and Space Superiority , Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance o Rapid Global Mobility * Global Strike * Command and Control

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