The Role of Doctrine in Preparing Airmen for Joint Operations
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C O R P O R A T I O N Promoting Joint Warfighting Proficiency The Role of Doctrine in Preparing Airmen for Joint Operations Miranda Priebe, Laurinda L. Rohn, Alyssa Demus, Bruce McClintock, Derek Eaton, Sarah Harting, Maria McCollester For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2472 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-1-9774-0054-3 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2018 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface In September 2016, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen David Goldfein announced an initiative to strengthen joint leaders and teams. This initiative is looking, in part, at how to improve joint warfighting proficiency so airmen can better integrate into, influence, and lead joint teams. Differences between Air Force and joint doctrine could contribute to airmen speaking a different language than their joint counterparts or being unfamiliar with the processes and principles employed in a joint setting. The Air Force asked RAND to describe the current differences and similarities between Air Force and joint doctrine and identify ways to increase doctrinal alignment. This report also considers how airmen currently encounter joint doctrine to answer two questions. First, to what extent could greater alignment of Air Force and joint doctrine help airmen gain greater joint proficiency? Second, would changes to the way Air Force officers learn or use doctrine help to promote joint proficiency? The research reported here was commissioned by Maj Gen Brian M. Killough, director of Strategic Plans, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, and conducted within the Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of the project “Air Force and Joint Doctrine Gap Analysis.” RAND Project AIR FORCE RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF provides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future air, space, and cyber forces. Research is conducted in four programs: Strategy and Doctrine; Force Modernization and Employment; Manpower, Personnel, and Training; and Resource Management. The research reported here was prepared under contract FA7014-16-D-1000. Additional information about PAF is available on our website: www.rand.org/paf/ This report documents work originally shared with the U.S. Air Force on November 15, 2017. The draft report, issued on December 12, 2017, was reviewed by formal peer reviewers and U.S. Air Force subject-matter experts. iii Contents Preface ...................................................................................................................................... iii Figures and Table........................................................................................................................ v Summary ................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................... xi Abbreviations............................................................................................................................xii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 Operational Doctrine and Doctrine Development ................................................................................. 3 2. Joint Language and Mindset in Air Force Doctrine .................................................................. 6 Doctrine Comparison Methodology ..................................................................................................... 6 Doctrine Comparison Findings .......................................................................................................... 12 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 41 3. Current Challenges to Promoting Joint Warfighting Proficiency ............................................ 43 Challenges to Using Doctrine to Promote Joint Warfighting Proficiency ............................................ 43 Limited Opportunities to Use Joint Doctrine and Constructs .............................................................. 53 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 58 4. Recommendations to Promote Joint Warfighting Proficiency ................................................ 59 Recommendations for Doctrine Content and Development ................................................................ 59 Increase Exposure to and Experience with Joint Doctrine and Constructs ........................................... 66 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 67 References ................................................................................................................................ 69 iv Figures Figure 2.1. Substantive Alignment Scale ................................................................................... 10 Figure 2.2. Tone Scale .............................................................................................................. 11 Figure 2.3. Air Force Doctrine Alignment with Joint Doctrine .................................................. 14 Figure 2.4. Relationship Between the Joint Targeting Cycle and the Air Tasking Cycle ............ 17 Figure 2.5. Joint and Air Force Counterair and IAMD Frameworks .......................................... 22 Figure 2.6. Air Force and Joint Intelligence Principles .............................................................. 23 Figure 2.7. Sample Joint Operational Approach ........................................................................ 26 Figure 2.8. Sample Air Force Operational Approach ................................................................. 27 Figure 2.9. Differences in Air Force and Joint Intelligence Doctrine Organization .................... 32 Figure 2.10. Air Force Doctrine Tone........................................................................................ 34 Figure 3.1. Personnel for the Air Force Doctrine Center ............................................................ 48 Figure 3.2. Number of Articles on Doctrine in ASPJ over Time ................................................ 50 Figure 3.3. Services of Service Leaders Referenced in Joint Doctrine Callout Boxes ................. 53 Table Table 2.1. Joint and Air Force Doctrine Publication Comparisons ............................................... 7 v Summary Air Force and joint operational concepts call for rapid integration of U.S. military capabilities across multiple domains.1 Future joint operations, therefore, will require even greater cooperation among the services and the ability to integrate capabilities across domains at lower echelons of command. As a result, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen David Goldfein announced an initiative to increase airmen’s joint warfighting proficiency, so they can better integrate into, influence, and lead current and future joint teams. As part of the initiative, the Air Force asked RAND Corporation researchers to describe the differences and similarities between Air Force and joint doctrine and identify ways to increase doctrinal alignment. This report also considers how airmen currently encounter doctrine to answer two questions. First, to what extent could greater alignment of Air Force and joint doctrine help airmen gain greater joint proficiency? Second, would changes to the way Air Force officers learn or use doctrine help to promote joint proficiency? A fundamental building block of joint proficiency is understanding joint doctrine. Joint doctrine captures the operational principles that prevail when the services go to war together. It also includes joint constructs (the terms, relationships, organizations, processes, and principles