Air Mobility Plan, 2008 - The Black Vault

Additionally, they incorporated guidance from the Air Force Strategic Plan, the Air Force Roadmap,
and the Air Force CONOPS, with specific direction from the Global Mobility CONOPS.
The teams then viewed air mobility capabilities through the prism of the future operating environment
discussed earlier in this chapter. Making predictions about the future undoubtedly imparts uncertainty
into the equation and must be undertaken very carefully. The MAF does not create its own future
operating environment; it relies heavily on the National Intelligence Estimate, Defense Planning
Scenarios, and Steady State Security Posture documents to formulate reasonable assumptions about
the future.
The product of this analysis phase was the identification of capabilities that the MAF will need
to provide to the warfighters in order for them to create the effects necessary to meet present and
future national security needs. As the FCTs developed the capabilities, they defined the capabilities’
attributes and established performance standards that were appropriate for the near-, mid-, and longterm
time frames.
Next, in the Functional Needs Analysis phase, the FCTs compared the MAF’s actual or predicted
performance of air mobility capabilities against the levels required to meet future warfighter air
mobility needs. Performance shortfalls, commonly referred to as capability deficiencies or gaps,
were identified, validated, and quantified.
Lastly, during the Functional Solutions Analysis phase, the FCTs carefully evaluated the alternative
solutions that were developed by Headquarters AMC, the AF Research Laboratory, other Services,
and industry.
Throughout the planning process, the FCTs used a value-focused thinking analytical model to ensure
that the MAF fields the capabilities needed by the warfighters. The model allowed the FCTs to
evaluate required capabilities, compare MAF performance against the required standards, identify
areas of risk and shortfalls, and evaluate the capability contributions of alternative solution sets.
MAF
Deficiencies/Solutions
Reference
Documents
Air Mobility Operating Environment
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