Are Large Scale (Brigade Combat Team or Regimental Level and Above) United States Army Airborne Operations Effective in the Context of 21st Century Warfare?

<p>FM 90-26 Airborne Operations states The strategic mobility of airborne forces permits rapid employment to meet contingencies across the operational continuum anywhere in the world. Arguably the strategic mobility of the United States Army airborne forces has influenced conflicts from Panama Grenada to most recently Afghanistan and Iraq during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In 2002 the United States Army developed a major transformational effort named the Modular Force Initiative. This initiative involves the total redesign of the operational Army into a larger more powerful more flexible and more rapidly deployable force while moving the Army from a division-centric structure to one built around a brigade combat team (BCT). Key concepts involved in the modular force initiative involve a total redesign of the operational Army. The modular force initiative seeks to optimize the BCT design so that the unit can operate throughout the depth of the battlefield. The challenge to airborne forces is to continue to maintain operational significance in this environment. Initial research leads me to believe that there is merit in studying the effectiveness of large scale airborne forces in 21st century warfare. Historical case studies of large scale airborne operations could provide the foundation and the principles for which these operations were conducted.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>