Air Force Motorized Jaeger Regiment?

[Distiller]

So the Navy has Naval Air and the Marine Corps to reach out beyond its core realm, and carry the fight onto the land and through the air, some elements are even land-based to reach towards the sea (e.g. airborne ASW and patrol).

And the Army has a certain aerial capability to reach ahead, and they should kill West Point and have an Army Air Corps with all the A-10 and intra-threatre aerial transports and all the UAVs they need. They even play a role in the war against the air through their Patriot batteries. And they have a certain limited riverine capability.

In short, with some adjustments those two forces would rule their respective realms AND be able to touch their surroundings.

But the Air Force as an own branch is a problem child since the demise of SAC. CAS would be better at home with the Army (the Marines do their own CAS in any case), strategic airlift is in the hands of TRANSCOM, SOCOM is about to start their own aerial force, STRATCOM has its hands on the nuclear bombing mission and strategic ISR and all things orbital, and everybody is trying to take away the UAV mission. With interdiction alone the day is not filled. No wonder they want to venture into cyber!

But what about an approach similar to the other branches? To reach beyond the core realm? For example into ground combat. With the Air Force Motorized Jaeger Regiment.

In contrast to the Army's air cavalry helicopter force, which is short ranged and limited in scope, and the Army's airborne formations, which besides depending on assets they don't control, are far too heavy, and are basically only capable of waiting for road/rail/river-bound supply once they are inserted (faszinating that the Army still puts "airborne" on whole divisions and even corps), the AF MotYeagReg could be really made light enough for airmobile operations.

In contrast to the other airmobile/airborne formations it could be 100% owned by the Air Force and could be inserted, supported, sustained and extracted by Air Force assets - basically the C-130. The ops area could actually be quite far behind enemy lines, since the units would be light enough to be sustained through the air - General Student's dream, I guess.

UAVs could provide constant ISR ahead and guard the flanks, as well as provide ESM and ECM, Fighterbombers and UAVs could provide support and break heavy restistance, C-130 could continously provide supply and at the end extract the unit again, and fighters could provide air cover. As vehicle to make it "motorized" and give it speed and reach the BvS10 would be an option, plus DPVs and motorbikes (or BMP-3 ). Speed and mobility would be the main weapon - besides 50cal MGs, AGLs, ATGMs, Stingers, 120mm mortars ... (the rear car of the BvS10 is pretty versatile).

Of course such a regiment would have to be very careful around dug-in or armored enemy formations, since it would almost completely rely on fighterbomber air support to clear such obstacles.

Standing up Motorized Jaeger Regiments would give the Air Force a new mission that reaches beyond its core realm, thus balancing it in a sense, like the other branches. It would also give a 3D medium-range opposed forced entry capability to the armed forces that is missing now, since neither AirCav, nor the 3D elements of the MEUs have a very deep reach (MV-22 does not have any meaningful fighting power for conventional forces).

[Majormarginal]

When I spoke to an Air Force recruiter during high school his opening line was, "We're not Infantry." That was his closing line also.

[J Wolfsberger]

Distiller, I think you've unintentionally hit on the Air Force's biggest problem: they don't want to understand their role within the full spectrum of warfare, nor do they want to perform the activities that role requires.

Unfortunately, there is a belief in the AF, never clearly articulated unless you can get some of their officers outside enough adult beverages, that the way to win a war is "bomb 'em till the rubble bounces," then send in the infantry to occupy the ruins. Your idea plays right into that viewpoint.

With respect to the Army entering the AF "realm," the AF made it necessary. I won't go through all the history - it's easy enough to find. I'll summarize it by saying that the reason there is so much Army (rotary wing) aviation is because the AF refused to support emerging Army doctrine and the associated required capabilities. In fact, there was almost an Army fixed wing aviation component: when the AF wanted to get rid of the A-10s in the 1980s, the Army said "Fine, we'll take them." At which point the AF "rediscovered" it's CAS mission.

Unfortunately, the AF idea of CAS is to buy fighters that are "dual capable." In practice, that means buying fighters. The Navy and Marines have a justifiable need for dual capable aircraft. The AF doesn't. Their practice of flying over Iraq in F-16s carrying 500 lb. bombs, then landing heavy, adding wear to the airframes that dramatically decreases service life, and whining that they weren't being given their proper role in COIN, all adds up to a group of people without a clue. Your idea would only affirm their cluelessness.

[BayonetBrant]

What Wolf said....

[Steve Blair]

Concur with JW as well. This proposal also ignores the vulnerability of airlift assets as well as any light air-deployed force once it's on the ground.

[William F. Owen]

Concur with JW as well. This proposal also ignores the vulnerability of airlift assets as well as any light air-deployed force once it's on the ground.

You could call it AIR-MECH STRIKE.....