Aerial refueling is key to the nation's global reach in response to
operations in all parts of the world. As such, aerial refueling
provides the bridge for air, joint, and coalition forces to deploy
anywhere, any time around the world. It is important in this era of
transformation that the tanker force and doctrine of aerial
refueling also meet the challenges of the Air Force's task force
concept of operations(CONOPS). The highly demanded tanker has the
ability to affect global strike; homeland security; global
mobility; space; and command, control, communications, computers,
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR);global
response; and nuclear response. The KC-135 air-craft has been an
outstanding platform for aerial refueling, and through some
enhancements, it has been able to leverage some of its capabilities
in airlift and communication. However, the Air Force has the
opportunity with its next class of tankers to field a new tanker
with capabilities that can serve all services in more demanding
joint and coalition warfare of the future. In Tanker-Force
Structure: Recapitalization of the KC-135, Lt Col Juan Narvid
challenges air mobility warriors to de-velop a tanker-force
structure that overcomes the thinking of old to launch new concepts
and capabilities for the future tanker. He argues that the future
of warfare will re-quire a tanker that is able to operate as a
force enabler across the full spectrum of operations. This research
isvery timely with the Boeing 767 being looked at as a re-placement
for some of the older KC-135s. In contrast to some of the 767's
capabilities, he outlines a conceptual tanker that combines airlift
and aerial-refueling capabilities and is able to survive in a
combat environment, and he leverages its ability to act as a
platform to enhance network-centric warfare. He points out that
while the "Cadillac" of all tankers may only be conceived in the
minds of Airmen, the tanker of the future cannot resemble the
single-role tanker of the past. In this paper, Colonel Narvid
examines the chronology of the tanker and the role it has played
throughout its his-tory. He argues that the next tanker must break
from old capabilities, tied to a Cold War strategy, and embark on
new operations and more capabilities that are able to respond to
future threats. Joint warfare already capitalizes on getting the
right information to the decision makers and the warrior executing
the combat mission. Innovative ideas within the mobility Air Force
(MAF) are providing the link for information between the two
through roll-on beyond line of sight (ROBE) systems. To employ
these type capabilities into a combat area, tankers may come up
against asymmetric threats from an enemy willing to blunt any
advantages the MAF has to offer. Colonel Narvid believes the
Boeing767 improves on the capabilities of the KC-135 and that the
Air Force currently needs to replace some of the olderKC-135s.
However, he argues, it will not fit the bill when It comes to
meeting the challenges of the future-instead, a tanker designed
from the ground up should recapitalize theKC-135 fleet
General
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