Playing Defense and Offense

<p>Throughout history conventional combat search and rescue forces within the US Air Force have been marked by a severe lack of capabilities prior to conflict followed by an effort to rebuild after hostilities break out. This cyclic trend has resulted in the US Air Force being ill prepared to immediately field a robust combat search and rescue force prior to every war in modern US history. In addition conventional combat search and rescue forces have not been strongly represented during the many smaller-scale contingencies that have characterized the geopolitical environment of the late 20th century. In their place US leaders have directed special operations forces to perform combat search and rescue in addition to their special operations missions. In theory a multifaceted force capable of conducting both these missions effectively would be ideal. In reality though history documents that US special operations forces have been less than adequately trained organized and equipped for this dual-use commitment. Nevertheless US policy makers tend to regard these assets as better than nothing and thus direct them to provide an ad hoc combat search and rescue capability to conventional forces. Meanwhile dedicated US Air Force combat search and rescue forces tend to perpetually exist in an inauspicious state. In fact a recent study suggests that conventional combat search and rescue forces have once again atrophied prompting US national security decision makers to do something. In turn the Joint Requirements Oversight Council has recently authorized the US Air Force to assess a number of alternatives in an effort to once again bolstercombat search and rescue. Evidence suggests that this recent interest in combat search and rescue is simply another upswing in its 50-year cyclic history.</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>