The School of Hard Knocks: The Development of Close Air Support (CAS) in Burma during Second World War - History Shows Reliable CAS Requires Unique Capabilities, Joint Training, and Cohesive Doctrine

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. Effective close air support (CAS) requires genuine cooperation from both air and ground forces. Many US military planners take the existing CAS system for granted, but history reveals reliable CAS capabilities require unique capabilities, joint training, and cohesive doctrine to succeed in a dynamic combat environment. This analysis explores the roots of modern CAS in Burma during World War II. By contrasting the efforts of the American Volunteer Group in 1942 with the Eastern Air Command in 1943-1944, the Burma campaigns showcase key CAS challenges, and highlight the Eastern Air Command's innovative solutions. In particular, the case studies focus on four CAS evaluation criteria: responsiveness, effectiveness, integration, and doctrine. Finally, a comparison between the 1943-1944 campaign and current doctrine reveals how the lessons learned in Burma paved the way for modern CAS.

In the summer of 2006, insurgent gunfire pinned down a supply convoy bound from Basra to Baghdad. A British Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) in the convoy contacted his higher headquarters requesting assistance. In less than thirty minutes, a US Air Force F-16, flown by the author, conducted a high-speed, low-altitude demonstration of force. The gunfire ceased, the insurgents dispersed, and the convoy completed its mission without any loss of life.

The JTAC expected, but could not witness, the storm of activity caused by his request. Initially, the request traveled up the British chain of command to the Land Component Command headquarters. From there, the request became a tasking sent to the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC). In turn, the CAOC contacted both the local Army unit controlling the closest fighters and a KC-10 refueling platform. The air-land command and control structure allowed the F-16s to refuel as they moved from Mosul (about 300 miles to the north) to help the convoy.

From start to finish, this example demonstrates the responsiveness, effectiveness, integration, and rigorous doctrine of modern Close Air Support (CAS). While many in the US military take it for granted, effective CAS developed from the blood-soaked lessons of history. This monograph argues modern CAS first appeared during the Burma campaigns of WWII. The Allied coalition pioneered effective CAS in 1943-1944 as Eastern Air Command (EAC) solved problems identified by the American Volunteer Group (AVG) in 1942. EAC's doctrine, procedures, and techniques laid the foundation for modern CAS.