Air Force Doctrine Document 2-1.1

Air superiority facilitates friendly
operations through the battlespace.
2
superiority can range from local
superiority in a specific
area to control over the entire
theater of operations. Control
may vary over time. As seen
during the Gulf War, air superiority
may not totally
eliminate air and missile opposition.
Some aircraft may
continue to fly and some missiles
may be launched in spite
of air superiority. However,
air superiority provides the
most favorable environment
for friendly forces to perform
their tasks without prohibitive
interference, while limiting
the enemy’s ability to
function effectively.
COUNTERAIR
OPERATIONS
Counterair consists of
offensive and defensive operations. Counterair is coordinated and integrated
at all levels to exploit the mutually beneficial effects of these
offensive and defensive operations to destroy or neutralize enemy air
and missile threats both before and after launch. These operations include
such measures as the use of aircraft, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles,
air-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, and information warfare elements
(e.g., electronic warfare [EW]) to counter the air and missile threat. Operations
are conducted over enemy and friendly territory. They range from
taking the initiative of seeking out and destroying the enemy’s ability to
conduct air and missile attacks to taking reactive measures to minimize
the effectiveness of enemy air and missile attacks. The overall situation
and the concept of operations determine when, where, and how these
operations are used to gain the desired degree of air superiority.
Offensive Counterair
Offensive Counterair (OCA) consists of offensive operations
aimed at destroying, disrupting, or limiting enemy air and missile