Effects of Doctrine and Experience on Close Air Support Operations in Korea (1950-1951) - Differences between Naval, Marine, and Air Force, CAS at Pusan, Organization, Weapons, and Communications

This report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. Close Air Support provided by Naval and Marine airpower in Korea differed than that provided by the United States Air Force. This difference can be traced back to each services experience prior to Korea. In this paper it was found that the conflicts experienced by Navy and Marine aviators during the 1920's and WWII better prepared them for Close Air Support operations in the Korean environment. Countering Nicaraguan rebels and Japanese troops in the Philippines created doctrine that the Navy and Marines would translate into procuring weapon systems, communication technology and training. This better prepared them to support friendly ground forces compared to the Air Force. In Nicaragua, the Philippines and Iwo Jima the enemy's center of gravity was its army. These experiences were instrumental in preparing maritime airpower to counter the North Korean Army.

There were many critical phases in the Korean War but the event I will discuss is the holding of the Pusan perimeter. Due to the circumstances surrounding U.S. ground forces during this particular event, having little artillery and an insufficient supply of antitank weapons, it was critical that they have effective close air support (CAS). Air Support missions flown by the Far East Air Force (FEAF), the Navy's 77th Task Force and the Marines 1st Air Wing played a critical role in this campaign. However, these missions did not come without flaws. The areas of preparedness going into the Korean War that I will discuss in order to highlight the effectiveness of Close Air Support (CAS) are: a) Doctrine / Training b) Organization c) Weapons (aircraft and ordnance) d) Communications and Control. Doctrine and training will be the areas emphasized since from this, the areas of command organization, weapons systems, and communications equipment and procedures are developed.