Aviation Combat Element
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| Aviation Combat Element | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Aviation Combat Element |
| Type | Aviation component |
| Role | Air operations support |
| Size | Varies |
| Command structure | Marine Air-Ground Task Force |
Aviation Combat Element The Aviation Combat Element (ACE) is the aviation component of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force that provides organic air support to ground forces, integrating fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned systems to support expeditionary operations, amphibious assaults, close air support, and logistics. The ACE operates within frameworks derived from doctrines promulgated by institutions such as the United States Marine Corps, coordinated with entities including the United States Navy, United States Air Force, and allied services in coalitions like NATO and the Combined Joint Task Force. Its functions have evolved through engagements such as the Battle of Fallujah, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War, and operations in Afghanistan.
Overview
An ACE forms one of three elements of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force alongside a ground combat element and a logistics combat element; it is scaled for conflict from small contingency operations to theater campaigns. Historical influences include lessons from the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, where integration challenges shaped modern ACE concepts adopted by the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and reflected in manuals from the Chief of Naval Operations. Doctrinal alignment draws on cooperation with the U.S. Central Command, U.S. Pacific Command, and allied theaters such as the European Command during crisis responses and humanitarian missions like Operation Tomodachi and Operation Unified Response.
Organization and Composition
An ACE is organized to include squadrons, groups, and wings under command structures such as a Marine Aircraft Group and a Marine Aircraft Wing; units often trace lineage to squadrons like VMA-211, HMLA-167, and VMFA-232. Commanders harmonize capabilities with staff elements equivalent to those in a Marine Air Control Group, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron, and Marine Wing Support Squadron. The ACE integrates personnel from training centers such as the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and logistics from Fleet Readiness Centers. Alliance interoperability frequently involves forces from the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and French Air Force.
Roles and Missions
Primary missions include close air support, aerial reconnaissance, electronic warfare, assault support, anti-armor strike, and maritime interdiction; mission profiles are comparable to tasks assigned in operations like Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The ACE also conducts counterinsurgency sorties, humanitarian assistance, noncombatant evacuation operations, and mine detection in coordination with units such as Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams and amphibious groups like the Amphibious Ready Group. In joint campaigns, ACE tasks are synchronized with staffs from Joint Task Force headquarters, NATO Combined Air Operations Centers, and theater air commands for campaigns akin to Operation Allied Force.
Equipment and Aircraft Types
ACE platforms span rotary and fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned systems: attack aircraft such as the AV-8B Harrier II and F/A-18 Hornet (when embarked), strike fighters like the F-35B Lightning II, transport helicopters including the CH-53E Super Stallion and CH-46 Sea Knight legacy types, assault helicopters like the AH-1Z Viper, utility helicopters such as the UH-1Y Venom, tiltrotor MV-22 Osprey, reconnaissance platforms like the RQ-7 Shadow and MQ-9 Reaper, and electronic warfare systems influenced by programs like HARM and ALQ-99. Logistics support depends on devices and shops maintained at depots like the Naval Air Warfare Center and equipment standards set by the Defense Logistics Agency.
Training and Doctrine
Doctrine for ACE employment draws from publications by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Marine Corps University, and joint doctrine from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Training pipelines include flight schools at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, weapons training at ranges like Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, expeditionary airfield operations rehearsed with units from Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, and combined exercises such as RIMPAC, Red Flag, and Talisman Sabre. Close air support procedures follow coordination techniques refined with the Air Liaison Officer program, forward air controllers trained under Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group, and target acquisition systems interoperable with the Joint Terminal Attack Controller community.
Operational History
ACE contributions were pivotal in World War II island campaigns, Korean War amphibious operations, Vietnam War air mobility, and Cold War forward deployments exemplified by Operation Urgent Fury and readiness events during the Cold War. In the post-9/11 era, ACE units supported counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan, maritime security patrols in the Persian Gulf, and disaster relief after the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Notable engagements involved coordination with carrier strike groups such as those centered on USS Nimitz, joint operations under CENTCOM, and multinational campaigns led through NATO command structures.
Interoperability and Joint Operations
ACE interoperability extends to joint expeditionary forces, carrier aviation elements of the United States Navy, close cooperation with United States Air Force tanker and ISR assets, and multinational partners from programs such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and bilateral exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Integration requires common standards from bodies like the North Atlantic Council for NATO missions, secure datalinks compatible with systems used by the European Defence Agency and procurement coordination through agencies such as the Defense Acquisition University. Tactical integration is practiced in combined training events including Combined Joint Task Force exercises, and operational command relationships have been refined through real-world campaigns under U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. European Command.