Technology Options to Leverage Aerospace Power in Operations Other Than Conventional War. Volume 1: Summary

The 1999 Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) Summer Study focused on potential future environments that may involve the Air Force in Operations Other Than Conventional Warfare (OOTCW). The SAB was asked to provide technology options that could leverage the application of aerospace power in such operations.The outcome of the study was a set of technology options to apply aerospace power to fight and win in the increasingly unconventional conflict environment. The team was to look at concepts, ideas and technologies that would allow United States forces to prevail while minimizing the number of airmen and ground troops that would have to be put at risk in OOTCW.The study considered the past and potential future OOTCW environments and considered operations from humanitarian relief (HUMRO), noncombatant evacuation (NEO), peacekeeping, and no-fly zone maintenance, through regional conflict. The upper range of operations for the study, regional conflict, was understood to be just short of the very significant level of conflict encountered in Kosovo. While the study did not in general emphasize the lower-intensity operations (HUMRO and NEO), it did become clear early on that such peacetime operations have significant operational tempo impacts. The study attempted to define these impacts and to offer mitigation ideas. The original document contains color images.