ASPJ Home Page

Volume 28 Issue 4, Jul-Aug 2014

  • Published
  • Air & Space Power Journal, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
Senior Leader Perspective

A New Era for Command and Control of Aerospace Operations
A New Era for Command and Control of Aerospace Operations

Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF, Retired
 
Control of the aerospace environment is a fundamental prerequisite to successful operations in the physical domains of air, sea, land, and space. Once established, such control facilitates the freedom of action and movement for all joint forces.... 


Editorial

Describing the Elephant:  Framing a Discussion on Command and Control
Describing the Elephant: Framing a Discussion on Command and Control

Col Henry Cyr, USAF
 
"Describing the Elephant" serves as a capstone article to frame a discussion about our continued need for on-scene tactical command and control (C2). Twelve years of counterinsurgency and counterterror operations in the Middle East, coupled with... 


Feature Articles

C2 Rising: A Historical View of Our Critical Advantage
C2 Rising: A Historical View of Our Critical Advantage

Lt Col Paul J. Maykish, USAF
 
America's greatest advantage in war fighting lies not in the quality of its people, ideas, weapons, or planes but in the systematic integration of those elements via command and control (C2). Theorists such as Napoleon, Field Marshal Helmuth von... 


The Rest of the C2 Iceberg
The Rest of the C2 Iceberg

Lt Col Dave Lyle, USAF
 
When we talk about the command and control (C2) of joint airpower, we tend to emphasize the tangible elements that execute the plan (akin to the “tip of the C2 iceberg”) rather than the organizational activities that component headquarters... 


The Imperative to Integrate Air Force Command and Control Systems into Maritime Plans
The Imperative to Integrate Air Force Command and Control Systems into Maritime Plans

Maj Gerrit H. Dalman, USAF / Capt Daniel M. Kopp, USAF / LT Gary A. Redman Jr., USN
 
Future maritime missions will likely include significant demand for airpower—a prospect that will drive command and control (C2) requirements best filled by airborne platforms. The Air Force's fighters, bombers, and other aircraft now train to... 


Views

Command and Control in Africa: Three Case Studies before and after Tactical C2
Command and Control in Africa: Three Case Studies before and after Tactical C2

Maj Damon Matlock, USAF / Maj Jonathan Gaustad, USAF / Maj Jason Scott, Georgia ANG / Capt Danielle J. Bales, USAF
 
Africa offers a unique context to study the requirement for the United States' role in coalition command and control (C2) systems. Air Force tactical C2 is not well understood outside the platforms that provide the capability despite its... 


Examining the Importance of the Tactical Air Coordinator (Airborne)
Examining the Importance of the Tactical Air Coordinator (Airborne)

Maj Gregory M. Blom, USAF / Capt Matthew B. Chapman, USAF
 
"Examining the Importance of the Tactical Air Coordinator (Airborne)" addresses how this doctrinal role is typically underutilized because it is not understood. TAC(A) is more than a communications relay platform. It is a battle management command... 


Merge 

Crossing the Streams: Integrating Stovepipes with Command and Control
Crossing the Streams: Integrating Stovepipes with Command and Control

Maj Matt "Radar" Gaetke, USAF
 
Airmen have a culture of integrating capabilities across platforms to achieve desired effects, but it is crumbling. The epicenter of the fracture is the operational level of war. The growth in number and capability of multirole aircraft has... 


Historical Highlights

A Concept for Directing Combat Air Operations
A Concept for Directing Combat Air Operations

Major General Sam J. Byerley
 
As early as 1946, Lieutenant General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, speaking of the capabilities which modern tactical air forces had demonstrated during the European air war, observed that flexibility in the application of air forces was necessary in order to... 


Selected Air University Research

A Revitalized USAF Culture of Innovation
A Revitalized USAF Culture of Innovation

Capt Vito Bussmann, USAF / Capt Gabriel Gassie, USAF / Capt Colin Hartwell, USAF /
Capt Jared Kleiman, USAF / Capt Keith Manry, USAF / Capt Ashley Vincent, USAF /
Capt Tyler Weeks, USAF

 
From its inception, the United States Air Force (USAF) has always been on the leading edge of technological innovation in the military and has consistently challenged the status quo in order to maintain global dominance throughout the 20th century.... 


Connecting United States Air Force Core Values to Mission Accomplishment
Connecting United States Air Force Core Values to Mission Accomplishment

Capt Brad DeWees, USAF / Capt Trevor Hitt, USAF / Capt Sarah Lindsay, USAF / Capt Jeremy Martin, USAF / Capt Jordan Matthews, USAF / Capt Dan Moates, USAF / Capt Mark Noakes, USAF / Capt James Nolan, USAF
 
Recent violations of the Air Force Core Values by Airmen at all grades have caused some observers to question the ethical and moral health of the US Air Force. By introducing the Core Values, the US Air Force established an ethical foundation for... 


Download Full Edition
 Download in PDF Format Download in IBook Format   Download in Nook Format Download in Kindle Format 

Join the Airpower Dialogue

Read what Air and Space Power Journal readers and web site visitors have to say.  We welcome your comments and suggestions.  Visit the Air University Press on FacebookFacebook Logoand Join the Airpower Dialogue.

Connect with Us

Resources

Air University Press Logo