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Air Land Integration For Joint Taskforce
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If you can knit up the power of the Army on the land and the power of the Air in the sky , then nothing will stand against you and you will never lose a battle ’. Field Marshal Montgomery , North Africa Campaign 1943 .
As we find ourselves in an era of both regular and irregular warfare , and operating within a spectrum of activities comprising the Comprehensive Approach , modern warfare and its battle space are arguably more complex that at any time previously . In addition , current Doctrine indicates that military success relies on the joint efforts of the 3 environmental components of
Three key elements of successful Air-Land Integration
Land , Air and Maritime . Whilst this article is written from the Air Perspective , the issues of Air Land Integration ( ALI ) are in fact entirely relevant across all components and , most importantly , within the JTF HQ . Moreover , although it will touch upon some of the characteristics of airpower , it is not meant to be a lesson in how to integrate airpower into the Joint battle space , the processes and procedures ; its aim , however , is to offer the mantra of ‘ Understand Together , Train Together , Fight Together ’ – in that order , and that this is a cyclical and continual process and to challenge all of those within a JTF HQ to acknowledge that ‘ Jointness ’ extends far beyond relabeling ‘ J numbers ’, and to ask ‘ what else could I / we do ?’
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘ Integrate ’ as ‘ combining one thing with another to form a whole ’, as opposed to ‘ Coordinate ’ which is ‘ bring different elements into a harmonious efficient relationship ’. A definition of ALI could therefore be , ‘ The focused orchestration and application of the full range of Air and Land capabilities within a Joint Force to realize effect …… regardless of component to which they belong , operating together to achieve a common aim ’. Air Power , however , is recognised as ‘ The ability to project power from the air in order to influence the behavior of people or the course of events . In this , Influence is usually a strategic goal , although Air also has other specific purposes which demonstrate its utility across the Strategic , Operational and Tactical spectrum : Control of the Air , Rapid Mobility and Lift , Intelligence and Situational Awareness , and Coercion . With respect to Land operations , Air Power ’ s greatest contribution is through control of the air , enabling surface manoeuvre and the ability of commanders to retain the initiative . Rapid Lift and Mobility , whilst acknowledging limitations of payload , is nevertheless a rapid and precise way to deploy and sustain forces . Intelligence and Situational Awareness can now be provided , through long endurance UAVs / Space , in real-time and over extended periods , reducing an Air Power weakness of lack of persistence , and satisfying the emphasis of contemporary operations on intelligence and the Find function . Finally , one of Air Power ’ s greatest strengths , Reach , provides a commander with the ability to extend continuous coercive effect over distance .
So , for the JTF , what is ALI ? As can be expected , ALI within a Land-focused HQ is usually associated with Close Air Support ( CAS ) or Air Interdiction ( AI ). But ALI is far more than CAS or AI , or even just bringing to bear the inherent strengths of
10LAND POWER