Defense Primer: United States Airpower

Updated November 7, 2018January 21, 2020 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 1. U.S. Air Forces, 2016-20252019-2028 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 Source: Department of Defense, Annual Aviation Inventory and Funding Plan, Fiscal Years (FY) 2016-2045, April 20152019-2048, March 2018. 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 1. 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 strategic and tactical intelligence. USAF tankers make 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 2,443456 jets for the USAF, Navy, and Marine Corps. https://crsreports.congress.gov Defense Primer: United States Airpower  The KC-46 tanker, 179 of which are scheduled to replace 50-year-old Air Force KC-135s. https://crsreports.congress.gov Defense Primer: United States Airpower, with possibly more to follow.  The B-21 Raider bomber, aboutat least 100 of which are expected to enter USAF service in the mid-2020s, to late2020s, replacing 1980s-era B-1s and B-2s.  The Navy continues to procure the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet multirole fighter and its electronic warfare variant, the EA-18G Growler.  The main Army aviation procurement, as has been the CRS Report R43049, U.S. Air Force Bomber Sustainment and Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress, by Jeremiah Gertler CRS In Focus IF10486, Defense Primer: Naval Forces, by Ronald O'Rourke CRS In Focus IF10547, Defense Primer: The United States Air Force, by Jeremiah Gertler Hornet multirole fighter and its electronic warfare variant, the EA-18G Growler.  The main Army aviation procurement, as has been the case for many years, is for more UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to move cargo and troops. Other Resources Relevant Statutes Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 803 – Department of the Air Force Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 303 – Department of the Army Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 503 – Department of the Navy Title 50, U.S. Code, Chapter 44 – National Security Other Resources Department of Defense. Annual Aviation Inventory and Funding Plan, Fiscal Years (FY) 2016-2045, April 2015. USAF. Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power, September, 2013. U.S. Navy. Naval Aviation’s Role: Supporting the Six Core Capabilities, January 2010. DOD. Joint Publication 3-30, Command and Control of Joint Air Operations, February 10, 2014 Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 503 – Department of the Navy Title 50, U.S. Code, Chapter 44 – National Security Jeremiah Gertler, Acting Senior Advisor to Dir/Sr Specialist CRS Products CRS Report R44305, The Air Force Aviation Investment Challenge, by Jeremiah Gertler Jeremiah Gertler, Acting Senior Advisor to Dir/Sr Specialist IF10546 https://crsreports.congress.gov IF10546 Defense Primer: United States Airpower Disclaimer This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. 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