USSOCOM and USTRANSCOM: Support to Combatant Commanders With Specialized and Unique Assets

The case study and presentation used for this Joint Operations paper was about Operation Odyssey Dawn (OOD). I will describe two operational-level successes and two failures experienced during the operation. I will offer clear proposals, that if implemented could have prevented those failures.

The Naval Aviation Command Logistics Information Management Information System (NALCOMIS) Optimized Organizational Maintenance Activity (OOMA) is the Navy and Marine Corps’ primary aviation maintenance documentation system. Introduced to the fleet in 2007 by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWARSYSCOM), it provided significant capability improvements such as the creation of the Auto Log-Sets, thus allowing the Naval Aviation Enterprise to track the repair history, Technical Directives, etc... for individual repairable components throughout its life. The developers failed to ensure integrity of the Automated Log Set by not limiting the amount of times a component with the same part and serial number could be created.

The threat environment has expanded from a strategic, nuclear, symmetrical threat from bombers, ICBMs, and air-or-sea-launched cruise missiles, to a continuing symmetrical threat in addition to an emergent asymmetric threat, focused across all domains, borders and agencies. Accordingly, our political leaders recognized a need to transform the military for a new ‘home game’. United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) was established to assume responsibility for the defence of the US homeland, and this new Command was tasked to provide military assistance to civil authorities (MACA).

The subsequent sections will propose how smaller and better-combined joint forces maintain lethality, mobility, and survivability. In spite of some associated risks, force adjustment is an opportunity to form an aggregate joint force. Nevertheless, these contractions will not mirror equally among the services. The result will be a lean joint force that maintains the ability to defeat conventional and asymmetric threats in all domains. Discussed in this order, Air Force, Army, United States Marine Corps (USMC), and Navy general structure will revolve around the integration of skills and capabilities. Next, discussion of the four categories of risk involved in the transition to Joint Force 2020 include operational risk, force management

Served as the Levant analyst on the Joint Operation Center (JOC) Current Intelligence Team (CIT) during the Iraq crisis. Tasked with standing up a 24 hour intelligence section on the watch floor to provide intelligence support to the JOC watch staff and joint planning group (JPG). My daily duties were to provide the most up to date information for the daily intelligence summary, commanders read book, and preparation of the daily situational awareness brief for directorate and CG. As a trusted analyst I individually managed, addressed, and answered five requests for information directly from the 2-star Commanding General (CG) without requiring follow ups. Additionally, I supported the joint planning efforts by answering 12 additional requests

Operation Eagle Claw required too much detailed integration between multiple military services without a central leadership. As a result two organizations formed. The first was Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) the other is U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). JSOC in simple terms is USSOCOM’s little brother. USSOCOM is established to provide joint leadership. JSOC is there to train all special operation forces to work together but falls under USSOCOM. This is important because it allows everybody to work on the same page. JSOC also allows other services such as the Air Force to train with the

General James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corp, defines and delivers the long term strategic strategy for the United Stated Marine Corps (USMC) in Expeditionary Force 21 (EF 21) dated 4 March 2014. The premise of the document is simple. It is his vision for the future Corps, and of how the USMC must build, shape, reorganize, in order to, as General Amos puts it, be “the right force in the right place and the right time”. This vision is addressed through the succinct and logical way ahead.

Earth is fragmented with the idea of nations. Though fasted communication networks have made the world smaller, borderless world seems a distant dream. Each nation in the world possesses fancy military weapons, whole big chunk of uniformed soldiers in the name of self defense. Yes, there are always pros and cons associated with the military. At the time of natural disasters, military is the one who lends helping hand much faster. But sometimes brutality of the military while evading the other nation cannot be overlooked. United States of America (USA) considered as the mighty nation in the world possess biggest military in the world. Any international dispute, international terrorism, US military does not stay behind

Being at war for the last 14 years the Army now finds it has the best trained and the most combat experienced force in its history. However, the intense focus on a relatively small number of mission sets such as irregular warfare detracts resources for the other missions required by Geographic Combatant Commander (GCC). To address this shortfall, the Chief of Staff of the Army General Ray Odierno directed implementation of the Regional Alignment of Forces (RAF) concept as means to address Combatant Command’s (CCMD) requirements. Regional alignment of Army units provides the GCC assigned units for a dedicated period , capable of executing myriad of specified missions as outlined in their Lines of Effort

On the basis of United States Code, Title 10, and joint doctrine, the Marine Corps, in coordination and cooperation with the Navy, has made logistical self-sufficiency an essential element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) expeditionary warfighting capabilities. This means that the Marine Corps’ logistics mission, at all commands and support levels, is to generate MAGTFs that are rapidly deployable, self-reliant, self-sustaining, and flexible and that can rapidly reconstitute (Logistics Operations, 1999). While the Marine Corps is unmatched in its ability to be the most rapid responding force across the globe, a deficiency exists that should be addressed. Over the past decade, there have been numerous successful innovations in ground and aviation logistics, but they have lacked in standardization or integration within the MAGTF. Emerging operating concepts such as disaggregated MAGTF operations and seabasing, along with current fiscal constraints, are driving the need to further modernize and integrate MAGTF logistics in order to optimize support to the warfighter (Borrelli & Hodge, 2013). Independently, the logistical concepts and systems that exist for the ground elements and the aviation elements are proven to be effective and efficient, however, when the aviation and ground elements work in concert the response of logistical support is hindered. This paper will offer possible solutions to close the logistics gap between the Marines Corps’ aviation and

This propagation greatly enhances the Joint Force’s warfighting capability by enhancing the likelihood that a coalition partner will have trained with a United States’ amphibious force or at a minimum is familiar with joint amphibious doctrine. The Joint Force correspondingly has expanded its amphibious horizons beyond the simple and established ARG/MEU. Rehearsals for forcible entry operations currently exist within all three Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) at the Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) level. These exercises, such as DAWN BLITZ, BOLD ALLIGATOR, and SSANG YONG, effectively always executed in multi-lateral fashion, increase the amphibious capability sets of the blue / green team while also redoubling a spirit of interoperability between the United States and its partner nation’s forces. The magnitude of such exercises is, of course, conspicuous since history has displayed that the United States will likely not execute a forcible entry

Combatant Commanders and their subordinate Joint Force Commanders (JFCs) in response to contingencies and crises use joint operation planning that transforms national strategic objectives into joint military operations. In order to describe ways and means to achieve desired ends, and develop plans and orders, the commanders use operational art, operational design, and the Joint Operational Planning Process. However, identifying the correct problem commanders are facing is crucial for all further planning and actions, and operational design will help them develop operational approach. Operational design is the process that helps commanders frame and understand the problem , and it consists of various elements that will help in

Modern times demand for adaption to an ever changing environment and has resulted in the mission scope to increase for a rapid response to countries requiring humanitarian aid, non-combatant evacuations, and quick response RAIDs in remote locations. The current organization of Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU), new contracts for Maritime Prepositioning Ship (MPS), precision weapons, improved surface assault crafts, and increase capabilities for over the horizon communications has expanded amphibious operations far more than what was thought in the

Force providers and the Services will rightfully continue to focus on force generation in support of GFM requirements and home station training and readiness activities. Given the current high GCC demand in an increasingly unstable international security environment, sourcing efforts for a complex catastrophe that has yet to occur will remain a secondary priority. Accordingly, SECDEF must direct the force providers and Services to conduct deliberate contingency sourcing exercises, not just GFM process refinements, to provide DHS and the supported GCCs (Northern Command and Pacific Command) with better fidelity of what forces may be available in a complex

Space and its’ operational capabilities are covered by Joint Publication (JP) 3-14. The formation of a Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) headquarters is enhanced through SATCOM or satellite communication and Positioning Navigation and Timing (PNT). SATCOM allows the MNJTF to communicate with the HQ and partner units executing operations in the Joint Operational Area; PNT provides real-time visibility of forces maneuvering within the JOA enabling battle tracking from remote locations. Forces operating within the straight of Mallaca will receive information, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) as well as gather information regarding the operational environment such as the terrain and weather before entering their assigned Areas of Operation.