Effective and Efficient Use of US Air Force Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and How to Meet Combatant Commander Requirements

Since Desert Storm, the majority of airborne ISR platforms have been dedicated to Central Command's (CENTCOM) theater of operation. While the other theaters have legitimate intelligence targets to be monitored and pursued, CENTCOM has been the priority. This paper examines how ISR has been used in different theaters, how ISR assets are allocated to the combatant commands, improvements made in how ISR platforms operate, and recommendations on how the platforms can be used more effectively. The Air Force must seek training opportunities with ground forces before Army and Marine units deploy to foster a basic understanding of how ISR platforms can support them, as well as ISR operators learning what information ground forces want. This needs to start within the United States military services, but the education piece needs to happen with coalition partners too. Establishing a level of trust and understanding before