Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report USAF Quick Reaction Forces written by and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 57 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines the evolution of the*alert role of F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers in Southeast Asia air-to-ground combat operations. Seventh Air Force implemented the quick reaction concept as a management tool to promote the effective allocation of air resources under circumstances of limited targets and variable weather conditions. Through the use of documentary evidence and interviews conducted with individuals involved in Seventh Air Force air operations, this study traces the employment of the quick reaction concept from its inception in 1970 through April 1973.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report USAF Support of Special Forces in SEA written by and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 111 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first Air Commando units arrived in Vietnam in November 1961, and since then the USAF has become an integral component in supplying Special Forces Camps with tactical airpower, airland/airdrop replenishment of supplies and instant guidance, as well as short reaction airpower to ground reconnaissance teams. In its special Seventh Air Force/5th Special Forces (SF) partnership, three primary roles of the U.S. Air Force are recounted. First, when vulnerable Special Forces Camps came under attack, it was USAF firepower that provided the heavy counterblows in their defense. More than one camp owes its continued existence to the quick and devastating reaction of the USAF. Second, Special Forces Camps have been almost entirely dependent upon airlift for their logistical support and this, too, has been a vital mission of the Air Force. Finally, in 1965, the U.S. Air Force began an association with Special Forces ground reconnaissance teams; it has produced some of the most efficient and effective ground missions of the war. The expanding role of Air Force Forward Air Controllers in Special Forces operations--an expansion strongly urged by SF commanders throughout the Republic of Vietnam--is addressed in Chapter V.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Short Rounds written by and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The term "short round," of artillery inception, described a shell which fell short of its target. In Air Force employment, this term is somewhat altered: "A short round incident is defined as the air delivery of ordnance which results in injury or death to friendly military forces or noncombatants." This CHECO report depicts those short rounds delivered by fixed-wing aircraft, specifically those under the operational control of the Seventh Air Force Tactical Air Control Center (TACC). This report encompasses "short round" incidents reported from January through December 1971. It emphasizes a narrative of each incident with the factors leading up to the incident, the investigating officer's conclusions and recommendations, and the efforts made by commanders to minimize the recurrence of the accidental release of air-delivered ordnance on friendly military forces or noncombatants. A review of the authenticated "short rounds" in CHECO reports of previous years revealed that these incidents basically followed a general pattern of primary and contributing causes: pilot error, poor weather conditions, troop location unknown, weapon system malfunction, wrong target hit due to ground personnel error, poor communications, change in the ground situation, and inaccurate target marking. However, it was also noted that in a troops-in-contact situation the chance of a short round must be weighed against the possibility of heavy losses if close air support is not provided.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Air Response to the Tet Offensive 30 January 29 February 1968 written by and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report traces the 1968 Communist Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Significant events which had an impact on airpower, and the application and responsiveness of air, are examined during this period of extremely heightened military activity. Air response ranged across the entire spectrum of air capability, from tactical airstrikes to the ground defense of air installations. Close support of ground troops in cities, air base defense, VNAF performance, emergency airlift, and civic responsiveness are all examined in this report.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report USAF Tactical Reconnaissance in Southeast Asia July 69 June 71 written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with a single C-47 Gooneybird in 1961, the USAF reconnaissance effort in Southeast Asia (SEA) has steadily expanded to keep pace with the increasing U.S. military role in the conflict. While the two previous CHECO reports on this subject examined USAF SEA tactical air reconnaissance from 1961 through June 1969, this report describes new equipment, technology, tactics, the relocation and deactivation of principal units, and the modernization of the VNAF aerial reconnaissance program. Although this report deals only with USAF efforts, the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine forces have been important elements of tactical reconnaissance in SEA.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Short Rounds and Related Incidents 1 Jun 69 to 31 Dec 70 written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Project CHECO was established in 1962 to document and analyze air operations in Southeast Asia. Over the years the meaning of the acronym changed several times to reflect the escalation of operations: Current Historical Evaluation of Counterinsurgency Operations, Contemporary Historical Evaluation of Combat Operations and Contemporary Historical Examination of Current Operations. Project CHECO and other U.S. Air Force Historical study programs provided the Air Force with timely and lasting corporate insights into operational, conceptual and doctrinal lessons from the war in SEA.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Operation HICKORY written by and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The scenario of Operation HICKORY called for a multipronged assault into the DMZ, with forces of the 3rd Marine Division and Vietnamese Army (ARVN) units striking north into the heart of the lowland area, and a Marine landing force sweeping in from the eastern coast. Air support for the Marine units, including the landing force (SLF Alpha), was to be provided by the Marine tactical air arm, while close support for ARVN forces was to be provided by the 7AF TACS. On the day prior to the operation, the TACS was to provide USAF aircraft for preparatory strikes immediately north of the DMZ, with the Marines conducting air strikes inside the zone. The TACS was to provide continuous suppression strikes north of the attacking forces throughout the course of the operation. Obviously, in a multi-force operation of this nature, joint planning and close coordination were key tactical prerequisities. In the early phases of Operation HICKORY, however, several situations arose which indicated an inadequacy in-joint planning. Breakdowns in the system of-coordination on air requirements, on at least two occasions, jeopardized friendly forces. Had airpower been applied under a system of centralized control, it is likely these breakdowns could have-been avoided.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report OV 10 Operations in SEAsia written by and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This CHECO report relates the methods employed in introducing the OV-10 aircraft into the Southeast Asia combat functions. The evaluation process of an unbiased COMBAT BRONCO team proved the superiority of OV-10 aircraft operating as a FAC vehicle. The OV-10 unit's organization, deployment, manning, and crew training in their relationship to the Tactical Air Control System are also reviewed. The final chapter outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the OV-10 and presents recommendations which might improve its effectiveness.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Short Rounds June 1968 May 1969 written by and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the parlance of artillerymen, a "Short Round" is a shell that falls short of the enemy and inflicts casualties on friendly troops. The expression is so starkly descriptive and brief that it has come to be used as a convenient label for most incidents wherein friendly ordnance causes friendly casualties. This report is concerned with air-delivered Short Rounds--specifically, those involving the fixed-wing aircraft under operational control of the Seventh Air Force Tactical Air Control Center (TACC). This third CHECO report On "Short Rounds" covers occurrences from June 1968 through May 1969. It emphasizes rates and trends, interesting corollaries, lessons learned, and recent attempts to eliminate Short Rounds. This study also examines several Short Round incidents to illustrate some of the problems encountered by ground commanders, forward air controllers (FACs), and strike aircraft commanders in their joint efforts to conduct close air support. Ground and air commanders at all levels are deeply concerned about the tragic results of Short Round incidents, and Strenuous efforts have been made to reduce the probability of such occurrences. To have achieved absolute immunity from Short Rounds, the ground forces would have had to sacrifice the benefits of air support whenever they were closely engaged with the enemy. These were hard choices to make, but nearly all of the situations dictated accepting the risk of Short Rounds to diminish the certain lethality of hostile fire.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report The Air War in Vietnam 1968 1969 written by and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The character of the U.S. military effort in Vietnam and the role of airpower in support of that effort changed markedly between January 1968--when the enemy launched his greatest offensive of the war--and December 1969, when the pace of the war had slowed appreciably. The enemy had suffered a major defeat in his early 1968 offensive; U.S. bombing of North Vietnam had been halted; and peace negotiations were begun in Paris. The out-country air effort shifted to strike against enemy infiltration routes in Southern Laos and support of Royal Lao Forces in Northern Laos. The U.S. and Allied ground forces in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) operated under a strategy emphasizing reconnaissance and undercutting the enemy infrastructure. The combination of air interdiction in Laos and ground and air attrition of the enemy logistics base and infrastructure in RVN gradually eroded the enemy's capabilities, allowing the RVN political and military establishments to expand control of the countryside and take a greater role in combat. This CHECO Report documents the role of airpower in this critical period of the war. It describes the various elements of the USAF air capability and how they were employed in support of United States strategy in Vietnam.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report USAF Reconnaissance in Southeast Asia 1961 66 written by and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reconnaissance can be defined as the act of observing the enemy for the purpose of obtaining information about him and his activities. In the past, it has been called "the eyes of the commander," but it has become more than that. Reconnaissance now includes not only visual, but also photographic, infra-red, electronic, and communications intelligence, to name the major areas. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of reconnaissance in Southeast Asia is the flexibility and imagination shown by Americans, civilian and military, in developing new means of gaining intelligence. Some of these methods involved new equipment, but most were an adaptation of existing equipment to new environments. Thus, the Air Force has developed and is continuing to develop, in Southeast Asia, tactics for reconnaissance in counterinsurgency operations in an hostile environment of surface-to-air missiles. The prominence of imagination does not mean that more classic military virtues were ignored. In terms of professionalism, the reconnaissance pilots particularly, and support personnel in general, were probably the best educated and trained the United States has ever sent to war. In dedication, hard work and courage, they have continued the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force. Before the advent of the airplane, reconnaissance was accomplished by patrolling - the recon platoon or company, the cavalry troop or squadron. The advantages of mobility, speed, and the elevated viewing platform provided by aircraft, have been so great that, today, reconnaissance is almost synonymous with aerial reconnaissance. This study will deal only with aerial reconnaissance and, in the interest of brevity, only with U.S. Air Force reconnaissance. This is not to indicate that the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF), and the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) have not played a major role. It merely means this paper is limited to presenting a history of "USAF Reconnaissance in Southeast Asia."

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Project RED HORSE written by and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study requested by the Secretary of Defense in 1965 showed that "when national interests are involved and tactical forces are deployed without a declaration of national emergency or war, a quick-reacting, heavy repair force, organic to the Air Force, is essential." Between June and September 1965, a study group from the Directorate of Civil Engineering at Headquarters USAF had analyzed the problem and obtained Air Staff approval to form such a force. On 23 September 1965, the Tactical Air Command (TAC) was given responsibility for organizing, training, procuring equipment and supplies, and administering the formation of the first two Red Horse Squadrons (the 554th and 555th Civil Engineering Heavy Repair Squadrons). By 18 October 1965, Hq TAC at Langley Field, Virginia, completed and distributed a comprehensive programming plan covering the objectives, timetable of actions, reporting procedures, staffing requirements, and the naming of primary and subordinate unit project officers. The mission and capabilities of the squadrons, their limitations, and material requirements were also recorded. Thus, in the fall of 1965, responding to the changing military and political situation in Southeast Asia and the projected need for a rapid increase of U.S. military forces in that part of the world, Project RED HORSE was initiated. The rapidity of planning, organizing, and executing which characterized these early beginnings, was to become a permanent part of RED HORSE activities.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Southeast Asia Tactical Data Systems Interface written by and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this CHECO report is to explore the most sophisticated means of interservice coordination yet employed in combat operations: The Southeast Asia Tactical Data Systems Interface. The Tactical Data Systems Interface was the computerized bond between the three tactical data systems in Southeast Asia, and, as such, it was a unique experiment in the control of airpower. For the first time, the tactical data systems of the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps were linked to exchange significant information almost instantaneously. As a result, the control center's Battle Commander had access to a near real time display of air data, which proved of immeasurable value to combat air operations in Southeast Asia from 1968 to 1973. When this report was prepared, most of the senior Seventh Air Force personnel who were experienced and knowledgeable regarding the interface were no longer in Southeast Asia, thus precluding interviews with key staff officers. Reliance was therefore placed on the numerous messages, letters, and unit working papers available on microfilm. However, CHECO's microfilm library does not contain a complete picture of a subject as far-reaching as the Tactical Data Systems Interface. Consequently, it should be emphasized that this monograph is not a final report. This document provides a starting point for exploring the Story of the USAF's role in the Tactical Data Systems Interface, but the reader should recognize that future research will produce data which may yield new perspectives on this subject. This report is in five parts.

Download or read book Project Checo Southeast Asia Study written by Derek H. Willard and published by Military Bookshop. This book was released on 2012-05 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: High quality reprint of this recently declassified 1969 study. A study requested by the Secretary of Defense in 1965 showed that "when national interests are involved and tactical forces are deployed without a declaration of national emergency or war, a quick-reacting, heavy repair force, organic to the Air Force, is essential." Between June and September 1965, a study group from the Directorate of Civil Engineering at Headquarters USAF had analyzed the problem and obtained Air Staff approval to form such a force. On 23 September 1965, the Tactical Air Command (TAC) was given responsibility for organizing, training, procuring equipment and supplies, and administering the formation of the first two Red Horse Squadrons (the 554th and 555th Civil Engineering Heavy Repair Squadrons). By 18 October 1965, Hq TAC at Langley Field, Virginia, completed and distributed a comprehensive programming plan covering the objectives, timetable of actions, reporting procedures, staffing requirements, and the naming of primary and subordinate unit project officers. The mission and capabilities of the squadrons, their limitations, and material requirements were also recorded. Thus, in the fall of 1965, responding to the changing military and political situation in Southeast Asia and the projected need for a rapid increase of U.S. military forces in that part of the world, Project RED HORSE was initiated. The rapidity of planning, organizing, and executing which characterized these early beginnings, was to become a permanent part of RED HORSE activities.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report USAF Search and Rescue November 1967 June 1969 written by and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When hostilities began in Southeast Asia, the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service was not fully prepared to enter into armed conflict. The assumption that wartime Search and Rescue (SAR) was an extension of peacetime SAR was in error. This was quickly recognized during the early days of the conflict. In 1964, the only rotary wing aircraft available to be deployed to SEA was the HH-43B assigned to the Local Base Rescue (LBR) units. The amphibious HU-16 and the HC-54 were the only fixed-wing aircraft available. Both these aircraft had a limited rescue and recovery capability. HC-54s, made available as command and control aircraft, were also limited in mission capability. The Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service was forced to take helicopter aircraft from other Air Force missions to provide a partially adequate SAR capability in SEA. Even then it took three years to fully develop and position the required forces. In October 1965, six CH-3C helicopters, modified for combat rescue service, were deployed to SEA. After deployment and additional modifications, they were redesignated the HH-3E (Jolly Green Giant), and became increasingly responsible for the out-country Aircrew Recovery (ACR) mission in Laos, North Vietnam, and the Gulf of Tonkin. Twelve HH-43F (Pedros) were also configured for combat recoveries to augment the HH-43B which had been performing the out-country ACR mission since deployment in October 1964. By January 1967, HH-43 out-country missions had ended. The HC-54s were replaced by the HC-130H/P, a far more suitable aircraft for command and control. Quick access to a downed aircrew member was a crucial element in a successful recovery, but significantly faster helicopters were years away in development. Therefore, longer endurance was vitally necessary to enable the rescue craft to loiter on orbit nearer the areas in which aircraft were likely to be lost.

Download or read book Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report Reconnaissance in SEAsia Jul 1966 Jun 1969 written by and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The traditional interpretation of the tactical reconnaissance mission as a highly mobile, self-sufficient operation prepared to "know continuously the enemy's capabilities and location" has been reemphasized by the recent military experience in Southeast Asia. A premium has been placed by several factors on the element of surprise, on detection of an enemy able to conceal himself more effectively than ever before, and on the most rapid possible response to requirements established by ground and air forces. Many axioms guiding reconnaissance organization and operations in the past have been reexamined and questioned in the light of conditions encountered in Southeast Asia. The task of providing "needed intelligence information during all phases and for the full spectrum of conflict" has created special problems yet to be fully resolved. This report reviews the expansion and growth in sophistication of the tactical reconnaissance mission in Southeast Asia (SEA) conducted by the United States Air Force from June 1966 to June 1969, noting at the same time the salient problems involved. Tactical reconnaissance emphasizes flexibility in its organization and operation; it can be deployed in package units or through various combinations of reconnaissance aircraft, sensors, and other detection devices as required by the joint force. The Wing, therefore, constitutes the basic tactical unit, small enough to fulfill mobility requirements and still provide from its own resources all the services of a tactical reconnaissance system. The broad scope of the Wing's mission can be seen in a summary of the work of the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB).

Download or read book Operation Attleboro Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report written by and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Project CHECO was established in 1962 to document and analyze air operations in Southeast Asia. Over the years the meaning of the acronym changed several times to reflect the escalation of operations: Current Historical Evaluation of Counterinsurgency Operations, Contemporary Historical Evaluation of Combat Operations and Contemporary Historical Examination of Current Operations. Project CHECO and other U. S. Air Force Historical study programs provided the Air Force with timely and lasting corporate insights into operational, conceptual and doctrinal lessons from the war in SEA.