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1 [1] (November 7, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthzzbtk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Defense Primer: United States Airpower 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, 2016-2025 FY6 FY17 FYIB FY19 FY20 FT2t IT22 FY13 FY24 W15 ttac 3290 3224 3190 3183 3215 3109 310B 3074 3060 2985 Attck c r 859 774 727 715 736 763 801 797 799 810 AIilC /Utiity 4563 4623 4727 476 4752 4715 4705 46%6 4676 4618 CmbatSahamlRec 152 56 5 16 16 0 149 147 15 149 149 AirRefla 542 555 557 560 560 560 55 563 563 563 U a Stike 157 157 157 15 7 IS 157 154 150 146 140 Aui.T-bf ia Wafa 612 649 666 647 655 658 644 642 640 637 Taineis 2!65 2113 2044 1999 f84 1853 5 1842 1!07 [779 ISRIcout/C4 1063 1037 892 94 350 849 816 812 810 807 Specl O nousF 494 487 470 473 474 45 457 457 457 457 ol 13907 13775 135s6 1354 13443 13 1242 13183 13107 1945 Source: Department of Defense, AnnualAviation Inventory and Funding Plan, Fiscal Years (FY) 2016-2045, April 2015. The United States Air Force 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 * Air and Space Superiority * Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance * Rapid Global Mobility * Global Strike * Command and Control 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 Updated November 7, 2018 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. Army Aviation 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. Naval Aviation 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. Marine Corps Aviation 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. Fighting as One 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. Major Procurement Programs The largest current DOD programs include the following: * The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter, a multi-service, multi-national program slated to acquire 2,443 jets for the USAF, Navy, and Marine Corps. www.crs.gov 7-5700

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