Roles and Relevance, Army Air and Missile Defense (AMD) in the Post 9/11 World

In August of 2006, the world witnessed a guerilla air war. Hezbollah, a non-state actor, attacked Israel from the air. The Israeli Defense Force was unable to counter this assault and its second largest city, Haifa, came under attack from long-range rockets. In addition, Hezbollah was able to launch three armed UAVs against the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv. The UAV missions failed but the precedent had been set. These events told the world that nations which in the past could never field or employ a manned air force, were able to attack well-equipped nations from the air. The combination of commercial high technology and old weapons defines the concept of guerilla air war. The emergence of guerilla air war further enables and empowers small groups to challenge wealthy nations for control of the battlefield. This monograph examines two critical issues: one, guerilla air war; and two, whether or not the existing US Army AMD structures can meet the challenge of such attacks and defeat them at the tactical level. The US Army has recently removed all tactical level AMD units. Army maneuver commanders do not posses organic surface to air systems that would enable them to engage current air threats from a guerilla air war. The US Army's AMD force has prepared for operational threats like TBMs, but these systems are judged to have limited value to the tactical commander. The monograph concludes with the argument that the removal of AMD units from the tactical level has left the Army dangerously and unnecessarily weak in certain respects. This has operational effects on the Army and the nation. As will be made clear, the Army's current AMD force is not integrated with the tactical level Army. The primary reason for this is the removal of AMD units from Corps and division level formations. By removing the AMD force from the tactical level, training has suffered and put the Army and its soldiers at risk. The most promising tactical system is C-RAM, which is revolutionizing the