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Military Airlift

Commentary

Japan and Dynamic Force Employment

In April, the United States ended a program that maintained a rotational bomber force to the U.S. territory of Guam. While the removal of a permanent bomber presence in the region has caused some in Japan to worry, U.S. commitment to Japan's defense shows no sign of changing nor does America's deterrent capability.

Jun 23, 2020
Report

Report

Personnel Recovery in the AFRICOM Area of Responsibility: Cost-Effective Options for Improvement

This report identifies the most cost-effective options for improving medical rescue capabilities in U.S. Africa Command's area of responsibility.

Aug 27, 2019
Report

Report

Worldwide C-17 Availability to Support 82nd Airborne Operations from Fort Bragg/Pope Field

This report explores C-17 availability and determines how quickly these aircraft and their aircrews can reach and depart from Fort Bragg/Pope Field, where the 82nd Airborne Division operates, from the many locations they are deployed to worldwide.

Aug 18, 2016
Report

Report

Enabling the Global Response Force: Access Strategies for the 82nd Airborne Division

The Global Response Force is built for rapid response to unforeseen operations. This study recommends specific GRF access strategies for each geographic combatant command given constraints in aircraft, intermediate staging bases, and other factors.

Jul 28, 2016
Commentary

Reimagining and Modernizing U.S. Airborne Forces for the 21st Century

Many of the challenges the U.S. will face in the coming years across the range of military operations could be deep inland and require rapid response. Airborne forcible entry — with reimagined and modernized airborne forces — would offer decisionmakers options in crises that they do not possess today.

Apr 20, 2016
Report

Airpower in the Libyan Civil War

In 2011, a coalition of nations waged a war against Muammar Qaddafi's regime that reversed the tide of Libya's civil war. The intervention's central element was a relatively small air campaign. What lessons did each nation glean from the experience?

Jul 8, 2015
Report

Tankering Fuel on U.S. Air Force Transport Aircraft

Tankering fuel involves carrying excess fuel when flying from origins where fuel is less expensive than at the destination. Would this practice generate cost savings if used on U.S. Air Force transport aircraft?

Jun 23, 2015
Report

Enhancing Army Airborne Forces

U.S. Army airborne forces could play a pivotal role in key missions in the future, particularly against hybrid threats and in anti-access environments. However, they face serious threats that could become more severe. To overcome these new threats, the airborne force will need new capabilities.

Jan 23, 2015
Dissertation

Capacity Management and Changing Requirements: Cost Effective Decision Making in an Uncertain World

Explores other options for dealing with excess Air Force fleet capacity and their relative cost effectiveness.

Oct 30, 2013
Report

Report

Maximizing Throughput at Soft Airfields

Because soft airfields can support only a limited number of takeoffs and landings, it is important to understand how to maximize the cargo throughput at these soft fields. This report shows that there is an optimum landing weight that allows for maximum cargo delivery. This optimum landing weight is constant and independent of both aircraft ramp weight and the ability of the soil to resist compressive loads.

Apr 23, 2013
Report

Reducing Long-Term Costs While Preserving a Robust Strategic Airlift Fleet: Options for the Current Fleet and Next-Generation Aircraft

The current strategic airlift fleet will be reaching the end of its service life in the next few decades, which has raised concerns about the cost and possible budget spike that would result from the need to recapitalize that fleet. This monograph presents the results of a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine the best way to recapitalize the USAF intertheater (strategic) airlift fleet.

Jan 31, 2013
Report

Report

Intratheater Airlift Functional Solution Analysis (FSA)

This functional solution analysis assesses changes to current U.S. Air Force operations to determine whether a nonmateriel solution could close the capability gap identified in the functional needs analysis.

Feb 24, 2011
Report

Report

Intratheater Airlift Functional Area Analysis (FAA)

This functional area analysis lays out the tasks, conditions, and standards for the intratheater airlift fleet, taken from high-level guidance, various operational concepts, and recent operational experience and the key variables for later analyses.

Feb 24, 2011
Report

Report

Intratheater Airlift Functional Needs Analysis (FNA)

This functional needs analysis assesses the ability of current U.S. Air Force assets to deliver the airlift capabilities identified in the functional area analysis.

Feb 24, 2011
Dissertation

Dissertation

Carry That Weight: Improving European Strategic Airlift Capabilities

Addresses the shortfall between the strategic airlift capabilities that the European Union needs to fulfill its ambition to be a credible security actor and the capabilities available to the major European nations.

Jun 4, 2007
Research Brief

Research Brief

Enhancing Airlift Planning and Execution in the Joint Theater Distribution System

This research brief describes how improvements in processes, organization, doctrine, training, and systems can help improve the effective and efficient movement of equipment and personnel in contingency operations.

Jun 28, 2006
Report

Report

A Framework for Enhancing Airlift Planning and Execution Capabilities Within the Joint Expeditionary Movement System

How can the Air Force improve the planning and execution activities associated with developing intratheater airlift operations within the military joint end-to-end multimodal movement system?

May 1, 2006
Report

Report

Understanding Airfield Capacity for Airlift Operations

This report describes follow-on work to investigate how differing levels and distributions of airfield resources, over a set of airfields, can affect airlift throughput.

Jan 1, 1998
Research Brief

Research Brief

Strategic Airlift Operations for the Gulf War: An Assessment of Operational Efficiency

This research brief summarizes analysis contained in the RAND Corporation report, "Project AIR FORCE Analysis of the Air War in the Gulf: An Assessment of Strategic Airlift Operational Efficiency" (R-4269/2-AF).

Jan 1, 1993
Report

Report

Maximum C-130E Tactical Airlift Capability : COMBAT SAMPLE.

An analysis of C-130E tactical airlift capability for various types of intratheater airlift operations. Using COMBAT SAMPLE data and assuming no resource or operational constraints, an analytic model is used to compute the maximum capability (in fly...

Jan 1, 1969

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RAND Topic:
Military Airlift