*FM 3-99
Field Manual
No. 3-99
Headquarters
Department of the Army

Washington, DC, 06 March 2015

Airborne and Air Assault Operations

Assured access is the desired conditions that the United States seeks to maintain in potential areas of strategic importance throughout the world. Assured access is the result of a combination of geopolitical factors that affect the United States’ ability to exert influence and project power in a variety of political, economic, humanitarian, and military situations. While assured access includes the freedom of movement through the global commons of international airspace and oceanic sea lanes, operational access is the ability to project military force into an operational area with sufficient freedom of action to accomplish the mission. Operational access is the joint force contribution to assured access, the unhindered national use of the global commons and select sovereign territory, waters, airspace and cyberspace. Operational access challenges can be categorized in a number of ways. They can be classified in terms of geographical, military, or diplomatic access issues. They can be described in terms of anti-access challenges, capabilities designed to prevent entry into an operational area, or area-denial capabilities designed to limit freedom of action within the operational area. Army forces, as part of the joint force, contribute to projecting military force into an operational area and sustaining it in the face of armed opposition by defeating enemy anti-access and area denial capabilities. Projecting and sustaining forces require the capability to secure multiple entry points into an operational area. As a major application of forcible entry, the joint force uses vertical envelopment (airborne and air assault operations), giving leaders flexibility and depth to set conditions for decisive action. Vertical envelopment capitalizes on mobility to surprise the enemy, seize a lodgment, and gain the initiative. The joint force establishes several precepts for gaining operational access. Foremost among them is “Conduct operations to gain access based on the requirements of the broader mission, while also designing subsequent operations to lessen access challenges.” Consistent with this precept, entry operations into enemy territory are a means to military or political objectives, rather than an end in themselves. Entry operations are planned within the larger context of the campaign’s overarching purpose. Without considering the impacts of entry operations on the larger objectives of a military campaign it is possible that entry may be gained through means that decrease the likelihood of achieving political and military objectives. Operations during the last 25 years make clear that future entry of forces onto hostile or uncertain territory will be necessary for a number of purposes, one of which is the establishment of a lodgment. Joint doctrine defines forcible entry as the “seizing and holding of a lodgment in the face of armed opposition,” and a lodgment as “a designated area in a hostile or potentially hostile operational area that, when seized and held, makes the continuous landing of troops and materiel possible and provides maneuver space for subsequent operations.” Each service and functional component has an important role in how joint forcible entry operations overcome opposed access. This manual provides doctrinal guidance for forcible entry operations at the operational and tactical levels. It describes relationships within the operational joint task force; vertical envelopment, organizational roles, functions, capabilities, and limitations; and responsibilities for the brigade combat team and its subordinate units within the assault force during airborne and air assault operations. A summary of key constructs to FM 3-99 follows: x Operational access—forcible entry and vertical envelopment—within the operational environment. x Task force organization, mission, capabilities, and limitations as well as the duties and responsibilities for the conduct of airborne and air assault operations. x Task force command and staff operations; cross-functional staff organizations (cells, working groups, and centers) to assist in coordination. x Meetings, working groups, and boards to integrate the staff, enhance planning, and decisionmaking within the task force. x Airborne and air assault task force unique capabilities and planning considerations in transitioning to other tactical operations.

Adaptive adversaries and enemies will contest United States joint forces across all domains— air, sea, land, space and cyberspace. Enemies are likely to employ anti-access strategies to prevent friendly force ability to project and sustain combat power into a region, and area denial strategies to constrain our nation’s freedom of action within the region. Assured access— the unhindered national use of the global commons and selected sovereign territory, waters, airspace and cyberspace, is achieved by projecting all the elements of national power. Often the United States requires operational access — the ability to project military force into an operational area with sufficient freedom of action to accomplish the mission. Operational access is the desired condition that the United States seeks to maintain in areas of strategic importance, to achieve assured access. Army forces, as part of joint forces project forces into an operational area and conduct operations to defeat enemy anti-access and area denial capabilities and establish security conditions and control of territory to pressure freedom of movement and action for follow-on operations or deny that area’s use to the enemy. Forcible entry operations are complex and always involve taking prudent risk to gain a position of relative advantage over the enemy. Equally critical is the transition between phases of the operation. This chapter discusses forcible entry operations and in particular the application of vertical envelopment as a tactical maneuver conducted by airborne or air assault forces to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative.

An airborne operation involves the air movement into an objective area of combat forces and their logistic support for execution of a tactical, operational, or strategic mission (JP 3-18). The means employed may be any combination of airborne units, air transportable units, and types of transport aircraft, depending on the mission and the overall situation. This chapter focuses on the role, organization, and capabilities of the airborne assault force (ABNAF) as well as the duties and responsibilities of personnel within or task-organized to an airborne (ABN) Infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) for airborne operations.

Airborne assaults may be conducted as a rapid crisis response against less capable enemies, where the conditions needed for the entry are quickly set with limited shaping operations or where forward deployed and rapid response elements must conduct the airborne assault mainly with their organic capabilities and minimal reinforcement. They may be larger-scale entry operations where there is significant shaping required to set the conditions for the airborne assault. Commanders begin planning for an airborne assault with a visualization of the ground tactical plan and work backwards through the landing plan, the air movement plan, and the marshalling plan. Planning is conducted in this order regardless of the type and duration of the mission or the size of the force. This chapter addresses roles and responsibilities, planning sequence and considerations, and shaping operations for an airborne assault.

The ground tactical plan is the base from which commanders develop all other plans. They must complete the ground tactical plan before finalizing the landing plan, the air movement plan, and the marshalling plan. It provides the commander’s intent, his concept of the operation, fire support plan, and task organization of the units making the initial airborne assault. Ground combat following airborne operations is conducted along conventional lines but under unusual conditions. Once these conditions are appreciated, the tactics and methods of ground combat can be applied after the execution of airborne operations.

The landing plan supports the ground tactical plan. It provides a sequence for the arrival of forces into the area of operation, ensuring that all forces arrive at designated locations and times prepared to execute the ground tactical plan. The commander finalizes the landing plan after completing the ground tactical plan. The landing plan phases forces into the objective area at the correct time and place to execute the ground tactical plan. Executing the landing plan is vital to the swift massing of combat power, protecting the force, and subsequent mission accomplishment.

After development, backbriefs, and approval of the landing plan, planners begin to finalize the air movement plan. This plan is the third step in planning an airborne operation and supports both the landing plan and the ground tactical plan. It provides the required information to move the airborne force from the departure airfield to the objective area. The plan includes the period from when forces load until they exit the aircraft. The air movement plan is a tab to the airborne operations appendix within Annex C, Operations.

After the air movement plan is developed, backbriefed, refined, and approved, the next plan to be finalized is the marshalling plan. The previous three plans— ground tactical, landing, and air movement— are used to determine the number of personnel and vehicles to be stationed at or moved through each airfield. The marshalling plan provides the necessary information and procedures by which units of the airborne force complete final preparations for combat, move to departure airfields, and loads the aircraft. It provides detailed instructions for facilities and services needed during marshalling. This chapter assists airborne assault force (ABNAF), commanders and staffs in planning for marshalling and sustainment.

An air assault operation is an operation in which assault forces, using the mobility of rotary-wing assets and the total integration of available firepower, maneuver under the control of a ground or air maneuver commander to engage enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain (JP 3-18). An air assault is a vertical envelopment conducted to gain a positional advantage, envelop or turn enemy forces that may or may not be in a position to oppose the operation. Ideally, the commander seeks to surprise the enemy and achieve an unopposed landing when conducting a vertical envelopment. However, the assault force must prepare for the presence of opposition. At the tactical level, vertical envelopments emphasize seizing terrain, destroying specific enemy forces, and interdicting enemy withdrawal routes.

Planning for air assault operations mirrors the military decisionmaking process (MDMP). It incorporates parallel and collaborative planning actions necessary to provide the additional time and detailed planning required for successful execution of the air assault mission. Standardizing operations between units conducting the air assault significantly enhances the ability of the unit to accomplish the mission.

The ground tactical plan is the foundation of a successful air assault on which all other air assault planning stages are based. It is the decisive operation for the air assault task force (AATF) because it accomplishes the mission assigned by the higher headquarters. It specifies actions in the objective area that lead to accomplishment of the mission and subsequent operations.

The landing plan supports the ground tactical plan. It provides a sequence for arrival of units into the area of operation, ensuring that all assigned units arrive at designated locations and times prepared to execute the ground tactical plan. General considerations to develop the landing plan follow.

The air movement plan is largely based on the ground tactical plan and landing plan. It begins when the assault or lift helicopters cross the start point and ends when they cross the release point. The air movement plan specifies the schedule and provides instructions for air movement of Soldiers, equipment, and supplies from the pickup zone to the landing zone. The air movement plan considers the impact of airspace restrictions. It provides coordinating instructions regarding air routes, aircraft speeds, altitudes, formations, and the planned use of attack reconnaissance helicopters.

The activities that take place in or near the pickup zone are referred to as pickup zone operations. These activities include both the loading and staging plan. Like the previous steps in the air assault planning process, these plans support and are based on the steps before them. Pickup zone operations are a collaborative effort between the supported unit (maneuver forces that compose the assault force) and the supporting aviation unit. The assault force is organized on the pickup zone. Every serial and lift is a self-contained element that must understand what it does upon landing at either the primary or the alternate landing zone and later in executing the ground tactical plan. Planning for insertion and extraction follows the same process and requires the same forethought and attention to detail. Insertion and extraction plans are developed during the air assault planning process and coordinated with all supporting units at the initial planning conference or air mission coordination meeting (AMCM). Both insertion and extraction loading and staging plans should be rehearsed at the air assault task force (AATF), aviation, and assault force rehearsals.

The glossary lists acronyms and terms with Army or joint definitions. Where Army and joint definitions differ, (Army) precedes the definition. Terms for which FM 3-99 is the proponent are marked with an asterisk (*).The proponent manual for other terms is listed in parentheses after the definition.

AATF, 1-10, 1-26, 8-1, 8-2, 8-4, 8-5, 8-6, 8-7, 8-11, 8-13, 8-14, 8-15, 8-16, 8-17, 9-1, 9-2, 9-3, 9-4, 9-5, 9-6, 9-7, 9-8, 9-9, 9-10, 9-11, 9-13, 9-14, 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-5, 10-7, 10-8, 10-9, 10-11, 10-12, 11-3, 12-1, 12-4, AATFC, 1-10, 1-26, 8-1, 8-11, 8-12, 8-13, 8-14, 8-15, 8-16, 8-17, 9-1, 9-2, 9-3, 9-5, 9-6, 9-7, 9-8, 9-10, 9-11, 9-13, 9-14, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-7, 10-8, 10-12, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4, 11-5, 12-1, 12-6, air assault task force commander, 1-25, 9-8, 9-10, 10-4, 10-8, 10-11, ABNAF, 1-22, 1-23, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-6, 3-7, 3-8, 3-9, 3-10, 3-12, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-13, 4-15, 4-16, 4-20, 5-1, 5-10, ABNAFC, 1-9, 1-23, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-8, 3-12, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-8, 4-13, 4-15, 4-16, ABNTFC, 1-9, 1-23, 1-24, 2-2, ADAM/BAE, 1-11, 4-13, 8-8, aerial casualty evacuation, 9-16 Air assault task force air defense airspace management/brigade aviation element, 4-13, 8-14, 9-2 air liaison officer, 1-11, 4-15, air mission coordination airborne assault force, 1-9, airborne assault force airborne task force Airborne Warning and Control airspace coordinating measures, 1-9, 1-12, 3-9, assembly aids, 5-18, 5-19, aviation liaison officer, 4-13, 8-8, 8-15, 9-2, 10-8, 11-1, CATF commander, amphibious CCA 5-Line attack brief, 4-13, commander of the air assault commander, amphibious task commander, joint special concept of operations, 1-5, CONOPS concept of operations, 1-5, 1-9, 1-10, 1-18, 1-21, 3-3, counterair, 1-2, 1-12, 1-13, drop zone, 1-12, 1-24, 2-2, 2-4, 2-6, 3-8, 4-9, 4-11, 4-12, 4-13, 4-15, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6, 5-7, 5-8, 5-9, 5-10, 5-11, 5-17, 5-18, 5-19, 5-20, 5-21, 5-23, 5-24, 5-25, 5-26, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-6, 6-8, 6-9 drop zones, 2-2, 2-4, 3-2, 3-9, 4-3, 4-4, 4-7, 4-11, 4-12, 4-16, 5-1, 5-2, 5-5, 5-6, 5-7, 5-8, 5-9, 5-10, 5-16, 5-25, elements of air movement plan, 6-1 fire support, 3-3, 3-9, 3-10, 5-11, 5-12, 5-13, 5-14, 6-3, fire support coordination measures, 1-9, 3-10, 8-7, 9-11 fire support coordination high-density air control zone, 1-12 intelligence preparation of the intermediate staging base, 5-12 intermediate staging base, 1-7, 2-7, 4-20, 4-22, 5-17, JFACC, 1-9, 1-10, 1-11, 1-12, 1-13 JFC joint force commander, 1-4, 1-5 joint force land commander, joint air component Joint Airborne Communications Center/Command Post, 2-6, 2-7 joint force commander, 1-2, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-8, 1-9, 1-10, 1-11, 1-13, 1-19, 1-23, 3-2, joint force land component Joint force maritime component joint operation planning Joint Precision Airdrop System, 5-4 joint special operations task Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, 2-6, 2-7 joint task force joint intelligence joint terminal attack controllers, 4-15 JSOA joint special operations landing zone, 1-12, 1-26, 3-3, 4-9, 4-13, 5-1, 5-5, 5-19, 5-26, 6-1, 6-8, 6-9, 8-4, 8-8, 8-9, 8-10, 8-14, 9-3, 9-7, 9-8, 9-9, 9-10, 9-14, 10-1, 10-3, 10-10, 10-11, 10-13, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8, 11-10, 11-11, 11-12, 11-13, 12-1, 12-2, 12-4, 12-6, 12-7, 12-8, 13-1, marshalling area, 2-1, 3-4, 4-1, 7-2, 7-4, 7-5, 7-6, 7-7, 7-8, 7-9 marshalling plan, 3-1, 3-3, 3-4, MDMP, 3-1, 3-4, 3-5, 9-1, 9-3, operational environment, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-7, 1-9, 1-14, PZCO, 8-15, 13-2, 13-3, 13-7, 13-8 regional (or sector) air defense remote marshalling base, 2-3, sea lines of communications, 1-3 SEAD, 1-25, 2-6, 3-12, 4-12, special patrol infiltration and suppression of enemy air defenses, 2-6, 6-2, 9-13, TACP, 3-9, 3-10, 4-15, 4-16, TACSAT, 1-24, 2-7, 7-12, 8-16, 8-17 tactical air control party, 1-11, Tactical Airspace Integration the fast-rope insertion and UAS, 4-16, 4-17, 8-8, 8-14, 9-13, 9-14, 10-3, 10-9,