Air Base Ground Defense: An Historical Perspective and Vision for the 1990s.

摘要

This work initially presents a brief historical perspective of air base ground defense (ABGD) in the United States Air Force (USAF) from its early beginnings in World War I (WWI), through the major conflicts of the twentieth century, to our present day capabilities. This perspective is to give the reader an appreciation of why we are where we are today. Efforts to create a viable ABGD system during and between wars waxed and waned along with the perceived threat and sense of urgency, thus affecting dedicated support, manpower, and funding. With this historical perspective as foundation, the author proposes several recommendations for where our current USAF ABGD program needs to go in order to move us through the next decade with a credible deterrent and defense against the perceived threat across the entire spectrum of warfare. The author has based his recommendations in part on his own experience in the ABGD role, specifically in the Pacific Theater. Not intended to be an all-encompassing 'fix-it' checklist, this work hits some of the key areas and provides food for thought toward enhancing our USAF ABGD capabilities. (AW)