Command and Control for Training and Combat Operations

At the dawn of the 21st Century, the Air Force adapted too many of the challenges presented by nearly a decade of sustained combat operations. Notable among these adaptations are the doctrinal and real-world changes with regard to senior command and control structures. The concept of the Numbered Air Force command echelon evolved and current doctrine created Component Numbered Air Forces aligned with regional combatant commanders. While these changes improved clarity of command issues, they also generated their own challenges. This study presents current command and control doctrine and analyzes two specific Component Numbered Air Forces. The 12th Air Force provides the doctrinal model for the stateside Component Numbered Air Force, while 9th Air Force in 2011 looks vastly different than it did just two years earlier. In 2009, Air Force leaders split 9th Air Force along its two major responsibilities in an effort to improve its handling of the air campaign in the Middle East. While Air Force leaders assert this change is temporary in nature, this research shows why 9th Air Force needs to remain a split command by examining the conditions in which the stateside Component Numbered Air Force can succeed.