
Expeditionary Airpower
A Vision for Agile Combat Support
Published in: Air Force Journal of Logistics, v. XXIII, no. 4, Winter 1999, p. 8-13, 39-40
Posted on RAND.org on January 01, 1999
To a large extent, success of Expeditionary Aerospace Forces depends on turning the current combat support system into one that is much more agile. The Air Force faces support system design tradeoffs between speed and costs. These tradeoffs will change as support technologies, policies, and practices change. RAND, with the Air Force Logistics Management Agency, has been researching current support needs and how these may evolve as threats, technology, and support processes change. This research indicates that the Air Force goal of deploying an expeditionary force within 48 hours can now be met only under certain conditions. The need for a support system that meets current expeditionary combat operations requirements and can adapt to evolving processes and technologies suggests that any such system comprise forward operating locations, forward support locations, CONUS support locations, and a transportation network and logistics command and control system.
Research conducted by
This report is part of the RAND Corporation External publication series. Many RAND studies are published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, as chapters in commercial books, or as documents published by other organizations.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.