Intra-Theater Airlift for the Joint Force Commander

1 AU/SAASS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED AIR AND space STUDIES AIR UNIVERSITY Intra-Theater AIR MOBILITY AND THEATER DISTRIBUTION FOR THE Joint Force Commander : IS THE UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND MODEL THE BEST? by LIEUTENANT COLONEL FRANCISCO RIVERA A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF ADVANCED AIR AND space STUDIES FOR COMPLETION OF GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama JUNE 2010 (REVISED JUNE 2011) Distribution A: Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. ii APPROVAL The undersigned certify that this thesis meets master s-level standards of research, argumentation, and expression. _____ DR. KEVIN C. HOLZIMMER (Date) _____ DR. JAMES W. FORSYTH, JR. (Date) iii DISCLAIMER The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author. They do not reflect the official position of the US Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force , or Air University.

2 Iv ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Rivera is a student assigned to the School of Advanced Air and space Studies (SAASS), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Colonel Rivera attended the University of Colorado and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1996. He entered the Air Force as a Distinguished Graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. After his commissioning, Colonel Rivera attended Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida and Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Upon graduation, he received an assignment to the C-130H Hercules at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. While stationed at Dyess, Colonel Rivera deployed to the United States European Command and the United States Central Command theaters in support of Operations Joint FORGE, SOUTHERN WATCH, ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. During that time, he upgraded to Instructor Navigator and ultimately completed his first tour as a C-130H Evaluator Navigator.

3 Following his assignment at Dyess, Colonel Rivera transitioned to instructor duty at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. While there, he served as a member of the initial cadre for the curriculum transition from Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training to Combat Systems Officer Training. Also during that time, Colonel Rivera earned a Master of Science in Systems Engineering Management from St. Mary s University. Colonel Rivera completed a tour as a Combat Systems Officer Flight Commander before being selected to serve as the Executive Officer to the 12th Flying Training Wing Commander . Following his assignment at Randolph, he completed Air Mobility Command s premier Intermediate Developmental Education program, the Advanced Study of Air Mobility, earning a Master of Science in Logistics from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Following SAASS, Colonel Rivera will be the Chief, Mobility Analysis, Headquarters Air Force Directorate for Studies and Analyses, Assessments, and Lessons Learned.

4 V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This year has been both the most academically challenging and rewarding of my life. I would first like to thank my SAASS XIX classmates who have provided much needed assistance and peer mentorship along the way. I especially want to acknowledge the members of the six pack, those of us lucky enough to occupy the SAASS Annex that equally served as a meat locker and a sauna depending on the time of year. There are several people I would like to individually thank for their help with this thesis. First, I want to thank Dr. Kevin Holzimmer, my advisor and writing mentor. His task was not an easy one and his insight and guidance were extremely helpful. I would also like to thank Dr. James Forsyth, my reader, who also provided invaluable mentorship for both my writing and my approach to learning in general. Special thanks to Brigadier General Richard Harpo Clark, Commandant, Air Force Academy and SAASS alumnus, for providing advice on how best to tackle this project.

5 Thanks also go to Major Mark Keener, at Headquarters Air Mobility Command A5, Major Shawn Fisher, at Headquarters Air Mobility Command A3, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Ulmer, at Air Forces Africa, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Trujillo, at Pacific Air Forces, Mr. Andrew Pohl, at Pacific Air Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel May at 607th AOC/AMD, and the staff at Detachment 1 of the Mobility Operations School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, for help in gathering information crucial to this thesis. Very special thanks to my wife for being my guiding light when things seemed darkest and my pillar of strength when I needed something to lean on. Finally, I wish to dedicate this work to my mother, who always believed in me. Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Cisco Rivera, USAF vi ABSTRACT Wars cannot be fought without logistics. Throughout the ages, kings, conquerors, and military commanders have relied on supply chains to expand their empires and sustain their campaigns.

6 However, the business of logistics and supply chain management is not glamorous. When compared to the shock and awe provided by kinetic effects on a battlefield, a mile-long line of fuel trucks or an airfield parking ramp full of wide-body aircraft do not make for very impressive photo opportunities. But the business of logistics and supply chain management is as vitally important, if not more so, as the business of targeting, bombardment, and scheme of maneuver. Though modern day American Joint Force Commanders have at their disposal a host of logisticians and supply chain managers to expertly manage a complex and global logistics network, it is critical that these commanders themselves be familiar with the advantages and constraints of the American global supply chain. For the Air Force , with Global Reach a part of its charter, the business of logistics is firmly rooted in its contributions to the American way of war.

7 From humanitarian assistance, to disaster relief, to combat aerial delivery, the Air Mobility Command provides the assets and the expertise to sustain America s power projection capabilities. The global portion of the American aerial supply chain is controlled and managed by Transportation Command. However, once personnel and materials arrive in a Geographic Combatant Commander s Area of Responsibility, that theater Commander becomes responsible for onward movement and distribution. Over the last eight years, one geographic command in particular has gained an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience in the business of managing aerial supply chains within a theater: Central Command. So prolific has been the business of Intra-Theater air movement and distribution there that the lessons learned have been exported to other geographic commands and codified into American military doctrine.

8 With so much of American military thought and Force structure being based on lessons learned from Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM within the Central Command s theater, a question naturally arises: Is the Central Command way of doing business the best way for all geographic commands to use in conducting their affairs? More specific to logistics and mobility affairs, the question can be framed thusly: Is the Central Command model for Intra-Theater Airlift and theater distribution the best way to conduct Intra-Theater air movements for Joint Force Commanders elsewhere? This thesis aims to address the latter question. The author utilizes a case study methodology, beginning with the Central Command. Two other commands are studied as well, each selected due to the potential for increased American strategic interests in the regions they cover: Pacific Command and Africa Command.

9 The strengths and weaknesses of the three Intra-Theater air mobility systems are examined, with particular emphasis on air mobility at the operational and tactical levels of war. Following the analysis, a series of recommendations are presented for Joint Force Commanders and air power strategists to consider when planning for future campaigns. vii CONTENTS Chapter Page ..DISCLAIMER ii ..ABOUT THE AUTHOR iii ..ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv ..ABSTRACT v ..INTRODUCTION 1 CENTCOM WAY 11 PACOM WAY 50 AFRICOM WAY 75 THE CENTCOM WAY THE BEST WAY? 93 ..CONCLUSION 128 APPENDIX: SELECTED ACRONYMS ..136 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..141 Figure Supply Chain: Origin to Point of Effect 46 Standing Command Relationships 59 of Africa Comparison 108 1 Introduction Air power includes a nation s ability to deliver cargo, people and war making potential through the air to a desired destination to accomplish a desired purpose.

10 -General of the Air Force Henry H. Hap Arnold It has been over eight years since the United States initiated its current contingency operations in the Central Command (CENTCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR). During that time, the Defense Transportation System (DTS) has been called upon continuously, becoming a major contributor to successful American military operations. DTS is that portion of the nation's transportation infrastructure which supports Department of Defense (DoD) common-user transportation needs across the range of military operations. The Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) is the single manager for DTS and is also the single distribution process owner for the movement of the DoD s materials, supplies and In 2003, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld decided to give this responsibility to TRANSCOM in order to centralize the distribution process from factory to foxhole, thereby improving the efficiency of battlefield Prior to that time, each Service Component was responsible for its own supply chain.