Slide 7 of 12
Notes:
SLIDE 7: ConOps & Tactics To meet those national and operational missions, the CAF employs the following concept:
.We plan (organize, train & equip) to operated in contested environments. It is the distinguishing characteristic of combat rescue. This puts a heavy emphasis on survivability for our rescue forces.
.We can not pick the time and place of a rescue mission, yet we still must be available to pick up our downed flyers quickly – they are a very perishable commodity once they’re isolated. Typical limfacs in the past have been darkness and weather. Over the last 25 years, the rescue community has invested heavily in being able to not only operate in darkness and adverse weather, but to take advantage of it to enhance our own survival. Today, we actually prefer to rescue personnel at night.
.Virtually every key decision on a rescue mission is to strike a balance between our chances at rescuing that downed airman and our chances at losing one of our own – risk vs. benefit. To that end, our operating philosophy has been to put at risk only those rescue forces necessary to prosecute the mission. This means a tailored force package. At the high end, more forces – especially tactical air -- may mean lower risk in a dense threat environment. At the low end, a single vehicle (& crew) or a team may be the most appropriate force to commit into harm’s way. The key point is flexibility to give that CINC the widest range of possible options.
