Playing Defense and Offense: Employing Rescue Resources as Offensive Weapons

摘要

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 2Oth century. In their place, US leaders have directed special operations forces to performing combat search and rescue in addition to their special operations missions.