The Warfighting Capacity of Air Combat Command's Numbered Air Forces

Publication Date: January 2000

Publisher: RAND Corporation

Author(s): Charles Robert Roll; Maren Leed; Lawrence M. Hanser

Research Area: Military and defense

Type: Brief

Abstract:

This documented briefing examines the numbers and kinds of personnel assigned to the Air Combat Command’s Numbered Air Forces (NAFs) that will be necessary to meet warfighting requirements. Quick-response packages (QRPs), limited-response packages (LRPs), and theater-response packages (TRPs) are used to represent three levels of conflict intensity that the NAFs might be called on support: quick, limited, and theater. Through use of historical data on the flow of personnel into the NAFs, exercise schedules from Air Combat Command, and staffing levels for each package, the authors find how many simultaneous QRPs, LRPs, and TRPs each NAF could support. Based on exercise experience and mission qualification training goals, a NAF could have only 82 percent of its personnel experienced in at least one major Air Operations Center exercise. Potential future conflicts could strain the ACC NAF structure because of the relatively low level of experienced personnel. Annual training and exercise goals should be met and steps taken to maximize training effectiveness, which will raise the number of experienced personnel.