Fighting Fires with Fire - An Airman's Perspective on the Development of Joint Publication 3-09, Doctrine for Joint Fire Support

This study is an Air Force doctrinaires account of the development of Joint Publication 3-09, Doctrine for Joint Fire Support, the most controversial joint military doctrine publication ever produced. Published on 12 May 1998, the approved JP 3-09 was the result of nearly ten years of rigorous debate, principally between the Air Force and the Army. The USAF opposed the project from the onset, citing objections to terminology and the basic need for fires doctrine. The introduction of the Joint Force Fires Coordinator JFFC was seen by the Air Force as an Army attempt to wrest away a large part of the Joint Force Air Component Commander s JFACC targeting and planning responsibilities. Terminology and command and control issues dominated the doctrine debate until 1998. After ten drafts, JP 3-09 reached a critical stalemate over two issues area of operations AO supportedsupporting commander relationships and Joint Surveillance, Target Attack Radar System Joint STARS control. It would require an executive meeting or Tank session comprising the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and the four Service chiefs to adjudicate the matter. The approved doctrine in JP 3-09 is impacting ongoing joint doctrine development. The final section of the study details the author s strategy to enable the Air Force to overcome the doctrinal challenges posed by JP 3-09.