MAGTF Air Assets and the JFACC

In every American conflict since World War II, the U.S. Air Force has found itself at odds with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps over the employment of aviation assets. During the 1980.s this confrontation focused on joint doctrine that established a Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC). The JFACC has continued to be a source of friction and debate between the services.1 Even though this is still true, I believe that the Marine Corps and Air Force are making progress in the joint environment even though there are fundamental differences that may always remain due to separate service doctrine, missions, and traditional philosophies and beliefs. The intent of this paper is to discuss these differences and progress and perhaps dispel some common myths.