Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Infantry vs. Air Support -- Any problems?
Message-ID: <1990Sep13.011936.16088@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 13 Sep 90 01:19:36 GMT
References: <1990Sep10.053550.5189@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Organization? We don't need no stinkin' organization
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Approved: military@att.att.com



From: uunet!mcgp1!flak (Dan Flak)

In article <1990Sep10.053550.5189@cbnews.att.com> yamauchi@heron.cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) writes:
>
>
>From: yamauchi@heron.cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi)
>
>Does the fact that the Army controls the infantry but the Air Force
>controls air support ever result in any problems?
>
>If an Army commander wants air support, but an Air Force commander
>decides that it's too risky or that his airpower could be better
>utilized other in other ways, are the ground troops just out of luck?  

The Air Force "gives" the theater commander, so many ground
support sorties each day. Then, the subordinate Army commanders
"divvy" up the pie, ususally as far down as Corps and sometimes,
Division level.

>From there, it is apportioned more on an "as needed" basis.
Army G/S-3 (operations) at each level of command (usually as
far down as battalion) work with Air Force Air Liaison
Officers (ALOs) to determine the air support they need for
the next day's operations. They then submit these
"preplanned" requests up Army channels to the Direct Air
Support Center (DASC), a joint Army AF section in the Corps
headquarters. Higher headquarters monitor the request at
every step and can "nix" the air support in favor of using
Army Aviation Assetts (Attack Helos) or Artillery. Silence
at the intermediate eschelons implies consent.

For "immediate" air support, the S-3 consults with the ALO/FAC
who sends the request to the DASC via Air Force communications.
The decison for the sortie request is made at the DASC (Corps)
level.

The use of pre-authorized air support is a joint Army-AF 
decision. Where the problems lie are in how much air the Air
Theater Commander gives the Ground Theater Commander.

>Do Air Force pilots resent being assigned to flying Warthogs on
>peripheral missions such as air support instead of flying Eagles on the
>Air Force's primary mission of air superiority?

Speaking from strictly personal point of view, I find ground
attack to be a very satisfying mission. Putting the bombs on
target and saving some "grunt's" neck (or other part of his
anatomy) is very rewarding. Philosophically, I belive that the
Air Force's ultimate customer is some 19 year-old PFC with an
M-16 on "point".
-- 
               United Federation of Anarchists - Seattle Chapter