any land-based tanker support is precious. One option is a Marine KC-130 Hercules tanker detachment 'on-call' for the 24th MEU (SOC). In addition to Marine tanker support, other tanker assets can make the life of CVW-1 easier. Navy carrier aircraft have refueling probes that fit almost any Air Force, Navy, or NATO tanker aircraft available. Especially valuable are the big Air Force KC-10A Extenders, which can refuel aircraft with either boom or probe refueling systems. One KC-10A carries over ten times the 'give-away' fuel load of an S-3/ES-3 tanker, and has much greater loiter time. A favorite Navy 'trick' is to use a large land-based tanker, like a KC-135, as a 'milk cow' to top off S-3/ES-3 tankers, which then distribute the fuel to other carrier aircraft.
— Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Support-Back in 1982, the Royal Navy learned a hard lesson about operating without AEW support in a high-threat environment. Ships were sunk, sailors died, and the expedition to retake the Falkland Islands was seriously jeopardized. While VAW- 123's four E-2C Hawkeyes provide excellent AEW capability, Admiral Mullen is happy to have additional 'eyes in the sky.' If support from Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft is available, count on him using it with gusto. Data links on Navy ships can talk to computers on Air Force and NATO Sentries. Secure voice radios are also compatible, assuming everyone has correctly loaded the proper codes (this is a common foul-up in exercises, and it's been known to happen in combat).
— J-STARS Ground Surveillance-The GW CVBG has powerful sensors to monitor the sky, but its ability to detect and track surface and ground-based targets is more limited. The S-3Bs of VS-32 can fly effective day and night maritime surface surveillance missions, but this competes with their other missions as tankers, ASW aircraft, and sea control platforms. Real-time tracking of ground targets ashore is even more difficult. If you need to monitor a ground threat, have your CinC ask the Air Force for the loan of few E-8 Joint Surveillance, Tracking, and Reconnaissance System (J-STARS) aircraft. Based on a commercial Boeing 707 airframe, the E-8's carry side-looking synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) that can detect both stationary and moving targets on the earth's surface. The J-STARS system also has special modes for detecting and tracking maritime targets, then passing the data to the battle group via a data link. Because J-STARS is designed for 'wide area' surveillance, it can monitor thousands of square miles of territory at a time.
— Air Force Wings-CVW-1 is trained and equipped to work jointly with air units of other services, or even of allied countries. This reflects a profound transformation in Navy thinking since 1990, and even as late as 1995 the capability was marginal. But now the CVBG finally has its own capability to generate and use Air Tasking Orders to synchronize and 'de-conflict' all kinds of air operations (strikes, sweeps, recon, cargo delivery, airmobile assault, cruise-missile salvos, search and rescue-you name it!). Someday we may see 'expeditionary' Air Force wings (like the 366th, a composite unit of fighters, bombers, and tankers) directly supporting carrier operations or providing cover for a CVBG or ARG.
— Marine Aviation Support-The Marine Corps can quickly deploy squadron of two-seat F/A-18D Hornet all-weather strike fighters to support CVBG, ARG, and MEU (SOC) operations. Equipped with Nighthawk laser-targeting pods for LGBs, as well as AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM- 65 Maverick missiles, the F/A- 18Ds are highly capable strike fighters. Marines also fly land-based EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare (EW) and jammer aircraft to augment those already aboard the carrier. Also, Marine Hornets and Prowlers can easily operate from carriers if necessary, since they too have tailhooks!
• Reconnaissance Support-To plan air strikes effectively you need high-quality, up-to- the-minute imagery of potential targets, and intelligence analysts who understand how to interpret these images. The main reconnaissance asset on the carrier is a quartet of TARPS-equipped F-14's. Older TARPS pods bring back reels of film that has to be developed in an onboard photographic lab. New Digital TARPS pods have a data link that can return a stream of pictures to the carrier before the F-14 lands. Other sources for imagery tend to sound like a bowl of alphabet soup: Satellite imagery will come from the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in Chantilly, Virginia, with its fleet or orbital imaging and radar satellites. UAVs and other airborne imaging systems can also be tasked for the CVBG staff. To process and distribute imagery and other products, the National Imaging and Mapping Agency (NIMA) was created in 1996. NIMA will combine the services of NRO, the Central Imaging Office (CIO), the National Photographic Center (NPIC), and the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), all under a single roof. Digital and paper maps, annotated photography, and customized target graphics will be 'pulled' on demand by regional joint intelligence centers and 'pushed' down to the wing and squadron intelligence officers who will need it.
The big NRO satellites produce a huge volume of high-quality 'close look' and 'wide area' imagery, but many urgent demands compete for limited time slots on these precious national assets. Smaller and less expensive collection systems will come on line in the early 21st century. NRO is trying to improve the timeliness of the images they deliver, and to 'downgrade' the Super-Secret classification of final products, so that more people and organizations can see them. An alternative that will become available in 1998 is commercial satellite imagery at one-meter resolution (good enough to distinguish tanks from trucks, but not to identify specific models). In the long run, the military will probably be one of the biggest users of commercial imagery, since it will be cheap, timely, and best of all, unclassified!
UAV systems continue to make steady progress toward the goal of long-duration, stealthy, unmanned airborne reconnaissance. The Pioneer UAV continues in service with the Marine Corps. Also, the first Air Force Predator unit (the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron), at Nellis AFB, Nevada, formed several years ago. Predator is derived from the Gnat 750 UAVs, which were combat-tested by the CIA in Bosnia back in 1994; and Predators were used during a recent workup of the
In addition to the Predator and Pioneer programs, progress is being made on long-endurance surveillance UAVs, like Dark Star, produced by the Lockheed Martin 'Skunk Works.' The even-longer-range Teledyne Ryan Global Hawk is also on track, as well as the data links and common control stations needed to make the UAV available to users. Traditional manned reconnaissance systems include the RF-18D Hornet introduced in 1997, equipped with a new Advanced Tactical Reconnaissance System (ATARS).
• Intelligence Support-In addition to imagery and mapping support, the GW battle group can also make use of many of the other products generated by the various 'spook' agencies. Some of these include:
— National Security Agency (NSA)-The NSA, which controls all electronic and signals intelligence collection, is a significant supporting agency for an amphibious unit like the GW battle group. A cramped, high-security compartment called the 'Ships Signals Exploitation Space' (SSES) lets battle group, ARG, and MEU (SOC) commanders tap into a wealth of electronic intelligence sources including RC-135 Rivet Joint and EP-3 Orion electronic intelligence aircraft, as well as communications intelligence satellites. Ship-based sensors (like the Classic Outboard ESM system) can intercept and analyze electronic signals, from SAM and air traffic radar to cellular phones and television signals.
— U.S. Space Command (US SPACECOM)-Based at Falcon AFB, Colorado, US SPACECOM provides space-based services to support combat operations. Key assets include weather, GPS navigation and communications satellites, ballistic missile warnings, and in the future, theater missile defense command and control.
— Cable News Network (CNN)-Intelligence analysts, after a few drinks, will usually agree that CNN is the finest real-time intelligence-gathering service in the world. In fact, one of the greatest benefits of the Challenge Athena system was to give commanders and staffs access to networks like CNN, Skynet, and MSNBC. A side benefit is improved crew morale when up-to-the-minute news and sports from home are available.
