Coordinating Operational Fires in a High-Risk Battle Space: A New Concept for the Joint Commander

摘要

Current joint doctrine is adequate for coordinating fires up to the corps/MEF level. Operation Allied Force, the 78-day major air operation designed to stop Serb aggression in Kosovo from March to June 1999, has clearly shown the need for a common method to coordinate operational fires and ground maneuver, while simultaneously minimizing collateral damage. The Joint Force Commander has a requirement for a permanent joint staff fires element to plan, coordinate and execute fires to support the JFC's overall objectives. My thesis emphasizes that the solution is not a technological one, but one capitalizing on service experts to form a joint fires cell. In my opinion, the joint fires problem stems from a combination of factors; lack of joint integration at the JFC level, and no one with their finger on the pulse of the total joint fires picture. My thesis proposes a way that the joint staff could be integrated to more effectively address the joint fires function of the JFC.