AFD35 Doctrine Primer

Introduction

Air Force Doctrine 2035 is an initiative of the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education to scout emerging technologies and assess their impact on airpower doctrine. Our goal is to prevent doctrinal surprises, avoid doctrinal stagnation, and catalyze doctrinal evolution to match the accelerated pace of technological change.

What is Doctrine?

“At the very heart of warfare lies doctrine.”

“It represents the central beliefs for waging war in order to achieve victory. Doctrine is of the mind, a network of faith and knowledge reinforced by experience which lays the pattern for the utilization of men, equipment, and tactics. It is the building material for strategy. It is fundamental to sound judgment.”

~ General Curtis Emerson LeMay, 1968

Doctrine is:

• The agreed-upon, operationally relevant body of best practices and principles​. It is supported by:​
  • History​
  • Debate and analysis ​
  • Exercises, wargames, & contingency operations
• Official advice (i.e., authoritative, but not directive)​
• Normally the best way to proceed. If we must deviate, there should be clear and compelling operational reasons.

Doctrine is distinct from, supports, and is supported by policy and strategy.

Policy governs the use of force, shapes strategy, and affects the application of doctrine. Policy is transmitted through formal and legal means. It includes laws, directives, instructions, and regulations.

Strategy incorporates the ends, ways, means, and risks to achieve objectives. Doctrine provides the informed starting point for developing a strategy. The success or failure of a strategy may affect policy and doctrine.

USAF Operational Doctrine

Air Force operational doctrine guides how the US Air Force organizes, presents, and employs forces that apply airpower--the ability to project military power through control and exploitation in, from, and through the air. Air Force Doctrine is contained in a library of publications that capture our distinct USAF capabilities across five core functions: Air Superiority, Global Precision Attack, Rapid Global Mobility, Global Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, & Command and Control.

Furthermore, Airmen have gained a unique perspective of airpower that is distilled through several foundational statements, including:

• Control of the air is a necessary precondition for control of the surface.
• Airpower creates effects at the strategic level of warfare.
• Airpower exploits the principles of mass and maneuver simultaneously.
• Airpower is not bound by geographical operating areas and creates effects throughout a theater.
• Airpower’s attributes combine to make it one of the most versatile components of military power.
• Airpower is a critical component of operations in the information environment.
• Airpower provides more than lethal effects.
• Airpower requires protection and sustainment to enable air operations and requires effective integration of capabilities, people, weapons, bases, logistics, and supporting infrastructure.
• Airpower’s unique attributes necessitate it be centrally commanded by an Airman.
  
  
  
  These central beliefs of airpower doctrine frame our quest to discover how emerging technologies may alter doctrine in the next decade.