From Burma to Baghdad Enhancing the Synergy Between Land-Based Special Forces and Combat Air Operations

The recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq displayed two very powerful and versatile elements of our nation's armed forces working together in close harmony. The combination of land-based Special Operations Forces (SOF) and joint combat air forces quickly overpowered the Taliban regime and contributed significantly to the defeat of Saddam Hussein's regime. Synthesizing SOF and combat airpower represents an evolution in the operational art of employing forces. SOF-assisted targeting has become an increasingly important method for prosecuting the armed forces' precision strike concept and will continue to be important for the foreseeable future. This paper examines the evolution of ground-based SOF integration with combat air forces and explores how the United States Special Operations Command and the United States Air Force should effectively synchronize their operations to attack high-value, time-sensitive targets in support of the Joint Force Commander's objectives.