fm 44-100 us army air and missile defense operations

FM 44-100
3-2
air power threatens friendly operations, the requirement for friendly JTAMD
must be a major consideration in the joint planning for those operations.
3-4. Air superiority, at the critical time and place, provides friendly forces a
more favorable environment in which to perform air, land, sea and space
operations. Limiting the enemy's use of its air power increases our potential
for success and conserves the fighting force so commanders can apply it at the
decisive time and place. Because offensive and defensive operations must
often rely on the same airspace and resources, they cannot be considered in
isolation from each other. The emphasis on either offensive or defensive
JTAMD operations will depend on the overall situation and the joint force
commander's concept of operations. JTAMD operations affect air, land, and
maritime battles, and often cross the boundaries between them.
3-5. The ultimate goal of JTAMD operations is to control the airspace to allow
commanders to execute their plans. The two types of complementary and
mutually supportive JTAMD operations are offensive operations and
defensive operations. Offensive operations are conducted to destroy, disrupt,
or neutralize enemy aircraft, missiles, launch platforms, and supporting
structures and systems as close to their source as possible. They are
conducted at a time and place of friendly force choosing rather than in
reaction to enemy initiatives. Defensive operations are those defensive
measures designed to detect, identify, intercept, and destroy or negate enemy
forces attempting to attack or penetrate the friendly air environment.
Defensive operations are conducted primarily in reaction to enemy air
offensive initiatives.
JOINT THEATER AIR DEFENSE
3-6. Joint Theater air defense operational elements are active air defense and
passive air defense. Active air defense is direct defensive action taken to
nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action. It includes such
measures as the use of aircraft, air defense weapons, weapons not used
primarily in the air defense role, and electronic warfare. Passive air defense
is all measures, other than active air defense, taken to minimize the
effectiveness of hostile air and missile threats against friendly forces and
assets. These measures include camouflage, concealment, deception,
dispersion, reconstitution, redundancy, detection and warning systems, and
the use of protective construction.
JOINT THEATER MISSILE DEFENSE
3-7. Objectives of joint theater missile defense (JTMD) are:
• To demonstrate US resolve to deter aggression through the
establishment of a TMD capability.
• To protect US deployed forces, allied forces, coalition forces, critical
assets, and areas of vital interest or political importance from attack
by theater missiles (TM).
• To detect and target TM systems; to detect, warn and report a TM
launch; and to coordinate a multifaceted response to a TM attack,
integrating that response with other combat operations.