Developing Doctrine for the Future Joint Force

The Joint Operations Concept (JOpsC) describes how the future Joint Force intends to operate within the next 15-20 years and the key attributes required for full spectrum dominance: fully integrated, expeditionary, networked, decentralized, adaptability, decision superiority and lethality. Recent contingencies displayed rapidly executable, globally and operationally distributed, simultaneous and sequential operations characteristic of the future Joint Force. Despite the success of these operations, they highlighted seams and shortfalls in current joint doctrine. In order for the future Joint Force to fully realize the synergies of air-ground integration, joint doctrine should evolve in several key areas. This paper addresses five focus areas related to future joint air-ground integration: supporting/supported relationships, establishing directives and emerging concepts, synchronization of interdiction and maneuver, joint fires concepts and fire support coordination measures. Using the joint doctrine Command and Control Tenets and JOpsC as a framework, this paper proposes doctrine concepts for the future Joint Force. By its completion, this paper introduces new command and control relationships and processes, joint organizational structures and joint fires concepts. The proposed doctrine concepts offer a framework to analyze the desired future capabilities of the Air Force and Army. The analysis concludes by recommending several avenues to create synergy and minimize seams in future joint operations.