Driftless
Donor
The 1948 Key West Agreement and the 1966 Johnson-McConnell Agreement, essentially laid out aviation technology and mission separation between the US Army and the US Air Force. That technology separation had an indirect, but significant impact on doctrine as well.
Boiled down to its barest elements: Key West gave the Air Force all strategic assets and missions, along with most tactical and transport functions. The Army would retain reconnaissance and evac craft and missions. The Johnson-McConnell Agreement later refined that separation by giving the Air Force all fixed wing aircraft going forward, while the Army obtained the ability to develop and use rotary-winged aircraft as they saw fit.
Neither service were completely happy with the outcome, but the division of roles became more clear cut and shifted the inter-service squabbles to other fronts.
The challenge here is to alter those aviation separations
· Alter the dates of either or both agreements; with a suitable POD date.
· Alter the gist of the agreements: for example, allow the Army to procure and deploy their own transport, or observation, or even CAS aircraft.
What changes in technology were likely to arise, and what doctrinal changes would come from altering the Agreement(s)?
(This thread idea comes out of the current Burton K Wheeler: USMC adopts OV-1 Mohawk thread. I’d bet there are several past discussions along these lines.)
Boiled down to its barest elements: Key West gave the Air Force all strategic assets and missions, along with most tactical and transport functions. The Army would retain reconnaissance and evac craft and missions. The Johnson-McConnell Agreement later refined that separation by giving the Air Force all fixed wing aircraft going forward, while the Army obtained the ability to develop and use rotary-winged aircraft as they saw fit.
Neither service were completely happy with the outcome, but the division of roles became more clear cut and shifted the inter-service squabbles to other fronts.
The challenge here is to alter those aviation separations
· Alter the dates of either or both agreements; with a suitable POD date.
and/or
What changes in technology were likely to arise, and what doctrinal changes would come from altering the Agreement(s)?
(This thread idea comes out of the current Burton K Wheeler: USMC adopts OV-1 Mohawk thread. I’d bet there are several past discussions along these lines.)
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