Future Roles of Army Aviation in Large Scale Combat Operations - Case Study of Persian Gulf War, Task Force Normandy, Shift Toward Combat with Near-Pe

The U.S. Army is experiencing a cultural shift away from years of low intensity, counter-insurgency operations toward large scale combat operations with a near-peer or peer threat. The shift includes a major change from brigade-centric operations to divisions and corps serving as the primary warfighting headquarters. Headquarters must now not only provide resources, but simultaneously direct the conflict in multiple domains, including space and cyber-space. U.S. Army Aviation can be a significant force multiplier, but only when used effectively. Army Aviation continues to gain ground through lessons learned from the readiness training centers on how best to reach deep in multi-domain operations. Army Aviation faces many obstacles to continue to be a force multiplier. The 2015 Field Manual 3-04, Army Aviation, set new expectations for large scale combat operations, but improvements in training, equipment, and doctrine are necessary to achieve what FM 3-04 demands conceptually. The complex battlefield set by near-peer and peer threats restricts Army Aviation's freedom of maneuver with anti-access and area-denial systems. To respond to such threats, Army Aviation currently fields upgrades to its legacy fleet of helicopters, but this approach consumes resources that could go towards the future vertical lift fleet. For Army Aviation to be ready to fight today, they must continue to improve the legacy fleet. However, the more Army Aviation spends on updating the legacy fleet, the less it is investing in the future airframes. Additionally, the current fleet has limited potential for further modifications. The key question is whether such modifications to the legacy fleet will be enough to combat the challenges faced in the complex and lethal battlefield of large scale combat operations against a near-peer or peer threat. This monograph addresses those questions surrounding the shift from counter-insurgency to large scale combat operations for Army Aviation.This compilation also includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.Since the American Civil War, Army Aviation has played a role in U.S. warfare. Army Aviation has continually adapted and strived to provide the ground force commander additional options, from deep attacks to reconnaissance, air assaults, medical evacuations, and more. In the most recent war on terrorism, Army Aviation provided these capabilities to the ground force commander which enabled numerous options, saving thousands of lives. While Army Aviation has proven itself as a combat multiplier in the current fight, past results may not be indicative of future success. Former combat aviation brigade (CAB) commander Colonel Jimmy Blackmon observed that "pilots are the products of their experiences." Currently, there is a pressing challenge to create realistic training opportunities to prepare leadership for the rising threat of conflict with a peer or near-peer adversary. Army Aviation's primary focus over the past decade focused on meeting the requirement for training and completing missions during specific rotational deployments to stable theaters, with a focus on environmental conditions. In the Gulf War, close air support was not the primary goal for the air component. However, in the mountains of the Regional Command East, Afghanistan, it was essential to the mission. The primary objective for the limited contingency was close air support, but as the U.S. Army gravitates back to the pressing challenge of Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO), Army Aviation must be prepared to increase their deep attack and interdiction capabilities. LSCO, unlike counter-insurgency (COIN), will challenge the Army in all domains. In recent history, the Army has assumed air superiority.