Air Force Doctrine Document 2-6.2
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Air Refueling Air Force Doctrine Document 26.2 19 July 1999 This AFDD complements Joint Publication 3-17, Joint Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Air Mobility Operations. BY ORDER OF THE AIR FORCE DOCTRINE DOCUMENT 2–6.2 SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE 19 JULY 1999 OPR: HQ AFDC/DR (Maj Gary Potter, USAF) Certified by: HQ AFDC/DR (Col Thomas A. Bowermeister, USAF) Pages: 94 Distribution: F Approved by: TIMOTHY A. KINNAN, Major General, USAF Commander, HQ Air Force Doctrine Center FOREWORD The Armed Forces of the United States face challenges more ambigu- ous and less specifically focused than during the cold war. During the cold war air refueling operations were focused on supporting the bomber force of our nuclear deterrence triad. These challenges can no longer be described as a single threat against which the bulk of our defense effort could be focused, but can be characterized as multiple risks from mul- tiple axes. Today, air refueling is conducted to provide rapid response, increased range, and extended airborne operations for bombers, fighters, airlift, command and control, and intelligence, surveillance, and recon- naissance aircraft from the Air Force, Navy, Marines, and US allies and coalition partners. Air refueling is one of the distinguishing characteris- tics making the United States the predominant air power nation on the globe. Modern air warfare, as we have come to know it, is simply not possible without air refueling. Employing our limited air refueling assets to gain the greatest advantage to the warfighting commanders in chief (CINCs) around the globe requires a level of knowledge and experience of its application in combat, mobility, and logistics that is not easily ac- quired. Air Force Doctrine Document, 2-6.2, Air Refueling, is written to provide this knowledge for understanding, planning, and executing these air refueling forces. TIMOTHY A. KINNAN Major General, USAF Commander, HQ Air Force Doctrine Center i ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. vii CHAPTER ONE—General .................................................................... 1 Overview ............................................................................................ 1 Background ......................................................................................... 1 Air Refueling Defined ......................................................................... 3 Components ....................................................................................... 3 Air Refueling Applications ................................................................. 5 Force Enablement............................................................................... 6 Force Multiplication ........................................................................... 7 Air Refueling and US Air Force Core Competencies .......................... 7 Rapid Global Mobility ..................................................................... 7 Precision Engagement .................................................................... 8 Global Attack .................................................................................. 8 Air and Space Superiority .............................................................. 8 Information Superiority ................................................................. 9 Agile Combat Support .................................................................... 9 Summary ............................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER TWO—Air Refueling Operations ...................................11 General .............................................................................................. 11 Anchor Areas and Air Refueling Tracks ........................................ 11 Tanker Formation Refueling......................................................... 12 Joint and Multinational Operations ............................................. 12 Air Refueling Missions...................................................................... 14 SIOP Support ................................................................................ 14 Global Attack Support .................................................................. 15 Air Bridge Support ........................................................................ 16 Deployment Support .................................................................... 16 Theater Support ........................................................................... 18 Special Operations Support .......................................................... 18 Other Missions of Air Refueling ....................................................... 19 Emergency Air Refueling ............................................................. 19 Airlift ............................................................................................ 21 Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) ...................................................... 22 Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) .............................................. 22 Summary .......................................................................................... 23 iii CHAPTER THREE—Command and Control .................................. 25 General ............................................................................................. 25 Types of Command and Control ....................................................... 26 Combatant Command (Command Authority) (COCOM) ............ 26 Operational Control (OPCON) ..................................................... 26 Tactical Control (TACON) ............................................................. 26 Air Refueling Support and Air Refueling Forces .............................. 27 Support Relationship ........................................................................ 27 Force Provider .............................................................................. 28 Multinational Relationships ......................................................... 28 Assigned Forces ................................................................................ 28 Attached Forces ................................................................................ 29 Peacetime Control of Air Refueling Forces....................................... 29 Tanker/Airlift Control Center (TACC) ......................................... 30 Air Mobility Operations Control Center (AMOCC) ...................... 31 Transition to Contingency Operations ............................................. 31 Commander, Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR) and Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC) ............................................... 31 Aerspace Operations Center (AOC) ............................................. 33 Director of Mobility Forces (DIRMOBFOR) ................................. 34 Air Mobility Division (AMD) ........................................................ 35 Air Refueling Control Team (ARCT) ............................................ 36 Contingency Operations ................................................................... 37 Intratheater Air Refueling Operations ......................................... 38 Intertheater Air Refueling Operations ......................................... 42 Operations Primarily Involving Air Mobility ............................... 43 Command and Control for Specific Air Refueling Missions ............. 43 SIOP Support ................................................................................ 43 Global Attack Support .................................................................. 44 Air Bridge Support ........................................................................ 46 Deployment Support .................................................................... 46 Theater Support ........................................................................... 47 Special Operations Support .......................................................... 48 Other Missions of Air Refueling ....................................................... 48 Emergency Air Refueling ............................................................. 48 Airlift ............................................................................................ 48 Summary .......................................................................................... 49 iv CHAPTER FOUR—Planning and Support Considerations ........... 51 Primacy of the Objectives ................................................................. 51 Force Apportionment and Allocation ............................................... 52 Apportioned Forces ...................................................................... 52 Allocated Forces ........................................................................... 53 General Planning and Support Considerations ................................ 56 Basing ........................................................................................... 56 Integral Tanker Unit Deployment (ITUD) ................................... 58 Airspace and Air Traffic Control .................................................. 59 Communications Capabilities and Emissions Control ................. 61 Conditions .................................................................................... 61 Operations in a Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical (NBC) Environ- ment ............................................................................................