Air Mobility Plan, 2008 - The Black Vault

in the process. These deficiencies are documented in the AMMP, which is used by other organizations
external to the FCTs to focus their research and development efforts on critical capability gaps to the 25
year planning horizon. FSA is an FCT-led operational assessment of potential doctrine, organization,
training, material, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) approaches, or
solution sets, intended to solve the capability deficiencies identified during the FNA. Selected solutions
and approaches, both material and nonmaterial, establish the roadmap for the functional area and serve
as the analytical foundation for programs in the Joint Capabilities Integration Development System
(JCIDS) process. FSA solutions are published in the Air Mobility Master Plan and the Air Mobility
Roadmap.
Air Mobility Operating Environment
Predicting air mobility capability needs for the future is dependant upon the environment we will be
forced to operate within. The guidance provided in our National Security Strategy, National Defense
Strategy, Quadrennial Defense Review, National Military Strategy, USTRANSCOM Strategic Plan,
Air Force Strategic Plan, and Air Force CONOPS provides us a glimpse of that future environment
and guides us in our planning efforts. The challenges of the future environment will increase in
variety and scale requiring the MAF to support major force operations and humanitarian missions
while countering unconventional threats. Our operations will need to leverage our global alliances
in an increasingly complex international environment where international partnerships will be key
to success. Cyberspace will become a major
battleground as we seek to protect our important
information, communications, and data systems
from increasing threats. Threats against civilian
targets, designed to inflict high casualties, and
weapons of mass destruction are just some of
the dangers we face today and in the future.
Today’s high operations tempo creates increased
demand on our Air Reserve Component forces,
places stress on our people and equipment, and
affects retention of personnel and aircraft mission
capable rates.
Future Air Mobility Concepts
Meeting the challenges of the future environment will require new technologies and concepts. To
successfully achieve the MAF vision, AMC must leverage the talents and capabilities of the Science
and Technology (S&T) community. To that end, AMC over the past 2 years has expanded the Future
Concepts Branch to partner with industry, the scientific community, and the Air Force Research
Laboratory (AFRL) to find solutions to the future capability needs of the MAF. As we plan for the
future, four major themes emerge that guide our vision for the MAF.
First, we will look at “airlift” from a new perspective, as an overall
capability where intertheater and intratheater missions merge into a
single mission. The Advanced Joint Air Combat System (AJACS)
and the Global Airlift Aircraft will be the workhorses in defining
this capability. Secondly, we need to increase efficiency through
the use of common systems wherever possible as we modernize
our current fleet of aircraft, select replacement aircraft, or design
the next-generation aircraft. Interoperability and compatibility
among our future systems will reduce engineering costs, lower
operator and maintainer training costs, and increase effectiveness
through improved velocity in operations. Third, we must reduce
our dependency upon the fixed mobility infrastructure used to
deploy and sustain US forces around the globe. Aircraft with
OCT 07
Executive Summary
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