Lifeline from the Sky

Major Brunhaver seeks to answer the question, what are the doctrinal imperatives of providing effective airlift support to enclaves? He states that doctrinal imperatives are those necessary and sufficient propositions that describe the optimal way to employ airlift forces in support of an enclave. This paper attempts to determine the best way to conduct airlift operations to support enclaves. Major Brunhaver’s primary conclusion is that four fundamental factors influence airlift operations: requirement to capability ratio, threat, support infrastructure, and weather.