Abstract: Since the end of the Cold War, the Air Force has been continuously involved in unforeseen and ongoing contingency operations, such as enforcing the no-fly zones in Iraq, while operating with fewer squadrons, people, and overseas bases. In October 1999, the Air Force implemented its Expeditionary Aerospace Force concept to reduce the deployment burden on Air Force personnel by spreading deployments more evenly across its force and increasing the predictability of deployments. Under that concept, groups of forces, which include fighter squadrons, are made available on a rotating basis to meet theater commanders requirements for one 90-day period every 15 months.1 By 2010, the Air Force plans to update this new way of covering peacetime deployments to increase the efficiency of how it uses certain fighter squadrons through a concept it terms dual-tasking. Dual-tasking fighter squadrons would result in providing theater commanders with the same number of aircraft they currently require but from fewer squadrons. For example, currently, if a theater commander requires the delivery of precision-guided munitions and suppression of enemy air defenses, two F-16 squadrons might be used to meet these requirements. However, each squadron would use only about half of its aircraft. In contrast, a dual- tasked F-16 squadron could meet both requirements, using most of its aircraft to do so. This is more efficient because the second squadron is then available to meet other requirements.
| Limitations: |
 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
| Pages: |
27 |
| Report Date: |
APR 2002 |
| Report Number: |
A732104 |
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