Fastmover FID

Abstract

This thesis addresses the issue of the addition of fixed-wing attack roles to the repertoire of skills taught by the aviation foreign internal (FID) defense community. FID is the mechanism by which the US government instructs foreign nations in skill sets America considers important that target nation's posses. The US's only aviation FID unit (6 SOS) currently only offers helicopter and transport related skills sets. This study probes whether FID and aviation FID "make sense" as a tactic, using national documents and leading academic perspectives as a benchmark. Concluding that they do, it goes on to consider the utility of attack missions as a possible expansion of tactics. Ultimately this thesis suggests that inclusion of fixed-wing attack aviation missions into the FID community is of particular utility in a post 9/11 world. The results also caution that the unique attributes of this mission require a special mindset and equipment that may not be congruous with traditional Air Force thinking/values, and that the path to implementation will require extreme diligence, patience, and care to prosecute.