Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority - Air Force ...

AIR SUPERIORITY
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CINCPACFLT COMUSMACV CINCPACAF
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7th FLT
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13th AF
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TF-77
2nd AD
2nd AD
generated the specific sortie orders. (See Figure 10-1) Rules authored by
the JCS covered actions in and over international waters, definitions of
“friendly” and “hostile” forces, and responses of U.S. forces should attacks
or threats by forces of the People’s Republic of China occur. With guidance
from the Joint Chiefs, Commander in Chief, Pacific (Admiral Sharp, in
Hawaii) issued a number of operating restrictions. These rules defined specific
geographical sanctuaries in North Vietnam, prohibited certain kinds of
attacks, and set the requirements that had to be met before a suspected target
could be engaged (visual identification of enemy aircraft, for example). Finally,
Air Force and Navy commanders (usually in consultation with U.S. ambassadors
to Laos, South Vietnam, and Thailand) in the theater issued operating
rules, most of which governed the tactics of ground-attack missions, such as
when certain weapons could be used to respond to ground fire against U.S.
aircraft.” Together, these restrictions and guidelines were referred to as the
Rules of Engagement, and U.S. aircrews were required to memorize them.
The Rules of Engagement that applied to ROLLING THUNDER in 1965
affected the air superiority campaign in the following ways:
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