The Evolution of Integrated Close Air Support

This thesis addresses the evolution of integrated close air support (CAS) from its birth to the present. By comparing three air arms' development of CAS, it provides a historical bedrock for the controversies and discord that surround debate regarding the tactic. Viewing CAS's air-ground synergy is a key design of the thesis, as many in the past have viewed it from only one side of the argument. The introduction defines and considers both the air and ground elements as essential to integrated CAS. Chapters One through Three outline the detailed histories of the tactic's development by three air arms. Based on in-depth research, the conclusion emerges that the German Luftwaffe, the US Marine Corps, and the US Army Air Forces all conceived of the tactic concurrently, but evolved it through different priorities, pressures, and personalities.