US Air Force Air Campaign Planning: Paying the Bills or Paying the Price

摘要

This monograph discusses the question of whether the United States Air Force(USAF) Air Campaign Planning Process is compatible with the theater campaign planning process outlined in joint publications such as Joint Pub 3: Doctrine for Joint Operations and Joint Pub 5,001: JTTP for Campaign Planning. This paper begins with a comparison of key terms used in the two planning processes, joint and USAF. These terms provide a basis of comparison and analysis for the discussion of the joint campaign planning cycle as outlined in Joint Pub 5-00.1 and the air campaign planning process from the Joint Doctrine Air Campaign Course (JDACC) 'Air Campaign Planning Handbook.' The monograph compares the two planning processes and analyzes their potential integration in terms of planning process inputs and outputs. The monograph concludes that the USAF air campaign planning process is, in fact, doctrinally compatible with the joint campaign planning cycle. Although Air Force doctrine acknowledges the potential for a stand alone campaign, the major focus of the USAF planning effort is for an air campaign plan, subordinate to the theater campaign plan, which focuses operations and resources towards the achievement of theater objectives. Campaign planning, Air campaign.