JP 3-01 Countering Air and Missile Threats - Defense Innovation ...

Chapter III
commercial, and requested national or interagency ISR assets. The capabilities include both
periodic reconnaissance and continuous surveillance of the operational area. While some of
the information requires processing for intelligence, other producers can be directly linked to
commanders and OCA or DCA forces as required. This is especially true for time-sensitive
targeting and decision making. Depending on the capabilities of the sensor and surveillance
systems and the source and quality of the intelligence, cueing of additional systems may be
necessary to provide more refined adversary air and missile threat data to ensure accurate
targeting and assessment. National or theater sensor and surveillance assets may be able to
detect, footprint, or search areas that will then require more refined ISR activities by theater
and tactical assets. Friendly aerial reconnaissance, ground surveillance systems, and other
intelligence assets requiring cueing are focused rapidly to achieve the necessary accuracy for
IPB targeting objectives.
c. The JFACC normally is responsible for airborne ISR for the JFC, and the JAOC has
an ISR division for planning and execution. The GCC is responsible for theater-level ISR, to
include ISR support to the subordinate JFC. Typically, the GCC manages ISR operations via
the joint reconnaissance center and ISR collection management via the intelligence
directorate collection management staff entity. At the national and the Department of
Defense (DOD) levels, USSTRATCOM identifies, develops, and recommends sourcing
solutions for DOD ISR and associated processing, exploitation, and dissemination
capabilities to satisfy combatant command and national operational and intelligence
requirements while synchronizing operational ISR plans and allocation strategies to integrate
national and theater capabilities.
Refer to JP 2-01, Joint and National Intelligence Support to Military Operations, and
JP 2-03, Geospatial Intelligence Support to Joint Operations, for more details regarding ISR.
24. Air Refueling
a. AR is an important force multiplier and enabling function for counterair and joint air
operations. AR greatly increases the range, endurance, and payloads of aircraft conducting
counterair and other joint air operations.
b. During a combat operation, the highest priority for intratheater AR units is normally
supporting combat and combat support aircraft executing joint air operations. This is
especially true during the initial phases of a conflict. Theater AR assets bolster the security
of air assets by allowing them to be based beyond the range of enemy threats. AR increases
the endurance of air combat support assets such as AWACS type aircraft, and JSTARS
aircraft and are among the many crucial airborne platforms used to help manage, direct, and
conduct combat operations. Depending upon the operation, extending range or endurance
could reduce the number of sorties required, decrease ground support requirements at
forward locations, and may reduce the number of aircraft required to be deployed to a
theater.
c. AR not only allows combat aircraft to greatly extend their range of operation (which
may allow them to operate from bases further away from the conflict that may be more
secure and have existing infrastructure and logistic capabilities that are critical to military
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