The United States Army's vision of the conventional battlefield of the early 21st century is one characterized by increased lethality, greatly expanded dimensions, and significantly increased dispersion of units. It puts a premium on forces being able to attack simultaneously throughout the depth of this new battlespace. Forces must also be able to dominate the tempo of the battle, delivering lethal pulses of combat power that keep the enemy off balance and destroy the cohesion of his operations. Information technology promises to greatly enhance forces potential tempo of operations by improving the speed, accuracy, and reliability of battle command systems. Maneuver on the future battlefield, especially operational maneuver, will present new challenges. Maneuver forces as currently structured may not be capable of meeting the requirements of simultaneity and depth of action in the 21st century. This monograph explores one path to structuring units for effective maneuver on the future battlefield. Specifically, it examines the viability of an aviation strike force (ASF) in deep operational maneuver. The ASF is an air- and ground-based combined arms formation of roughly division size. To assess the potential of such a formation on the future battlefield, the monograph first explores the theoretical foundations of modern deep operational maneuver developed by Tukhachevskiy, Triandafillov, J.F.C. Fuller, and Guderian. It then examines the concepts developed by Simpkin and Von Senger und Etterlin for employing rotary-wing aircraft in operational maneuver. Based on these theoretical reviews, an ASF structure is proposed, based on units and equipment likely to be available in the early 21st century. The analysis of this organization reveals that it has immense potential for deep operational maneuver on an extended, dispersed battlefield. This monograph concludes that an ASF has the potential to be a highly effective deep maneuver force, enjoying a mobility differential such as that enjoyed by the tank during World War II. This potential warrants a more indepth study of the ASF concept, its likely strengths, and its limitations.

ADA 300997 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)