Air Mobility Plan, 2008 - The Black Vault

to foxhole. As USTRANSCOM’s air component, AMC’s role under Title X US Code is to train,
organize, and equip the MAF. However, AMC forces are assigned to USTRANSCOM under
SECDEF’s orders; and under SECDEF guidance in the Global Force Management Plan, AMC forces
are apportioned to USTRANSCOM for planning purposes. When required, SECDEF apportions
forces to USTRANSCOM and/or other combatant commands (COCOMS) for execution of plans.
The USTRANSCOM Strategic Plan establishes four long-range goals that directly impact the MAF’s
planning process:
1. Mature the Joint deployment and distribution enterprise.
2. Leverage collaboration and partnerships.
3. Develop expeditionary approaches.
4. Enable Joint distribution concepts developing expeditionary approaches.
Air Force Strategic Plan
The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United
States of America and its global interests—to fly and fight in air, space, and cyberspace. We execute
our mission in a challenging environment. The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report describes
this environment and provides the strategic context and overarching guidance that direct our planning
efforts.
As the foundation of our planning, we use three specific Air Force priorities, from the AF Strategic
Plan, as the criteria for judging the choices we make:
1. Winning the war on terror while preparing for the next war.
2. Developing and caring for Airmen and their families…to maintain the competitive edge.
3. Recapitalizing and modernizing our aging aircraft, satellites, and equipment…to optimize
the military utility of our systems and to better meet 21st century challenges.
The AMMP supports the overall Air Force vision put forth in the AF Strategic Plan, “…where every
Airman fights alongside and above our fellow Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, and puts air, space, and
cyberspace power on target as part of a dominant Joint warfighting team. It is a vision of an Air Force
that leverages asymmetric advantages across the “commons” to provide desired effects—an Air Force
that develops, sustains, and is always sharpening its warfighting edge—an Air Force that provides the
most highly motivated, trained, and respected Airmen in the world to accomplish its missions with
integrity and leadership as an integrated Total Force team.”
Air Force Concept of Operations (CONOPS)
The purpose of the AF CONOPS is to express a vision for how the Air Force intends to plan, prepare,
employ, deploy, sustain and/or recover a Joint force within a specified set of conditions. The CONOPS
lays the foundation for our transformation to a capabilities-based Air and Space Expeditionary Force
(AEF) through 2025. The CONOPS transforms the force presentation to theater commanders by
providing tailored forces to employ as needed for mission success. They also transform the allocation
process by linking all planning, requirements, and programming to an effects-generated, capabilitiesbased
construct. Bottom line: The CONOPS is about warfighting and making sure the AF “toolbox”
is equipped to do the job right.
In making sure the AF “toolbox” is properly equipped, the MAF air mobility planning process
examines the impact that “external” threats could have on mobility operations between now and
2032. Even though it is a real challenge to predict the future, we know that uncertainty, complexity,
and danger will continue to characterize the security environment. Following is a brief description of
the Global Mobility CONOPS with a chart defining each AF CONOPS. Given the fact that AMC is
lead command for the air mobility mission area, the Global Mobility CONOPS is explained in more
detail than the others.
Air Mobility Operating Environment
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