A Joint Approach to Air Superiority

Air superiority will continue to be a prerequisite to military operations in future battle. Air superiority includes not only dominance over manned vehicles (fixed-wing and rotary aircraft), but unmanned threats as well (Theater Ballistic Missiles (TBMs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and cruise missiles). As in past conflicts, defending a joint force against a full array of potential threats will require the services of both Air Force fighter aircraft and Army surface-to-air missiles, working alongside joint C4 ISR assets. With enemy airpower becoming more diverse and lethal, Army and Air Force counterair units must become more interoperable, if they expect success in the next conflict. Current counterair forces suffer from interoperability challenges relating to systems integration and joint training difficulties. Cooperation among DCA systems within the Army and Air Force is hampered by different doctrine, priorities, and even visions concerning counterair. Better interoperability will be necessary in the future, if DCA forces are to maximize their weapons capabilities, while reducing the possibility of a fratricide incident.