Enabling the Global Response Force: Access Strategies for the 82nd Airborne Division

Abstract : The U.S. Armys 82nd Airborne Division (hereafter, the 82nd) plays a significant strategic role as part of the Global Response Force (GRF), whose mandate is contained in a Joint Chiefs of Staff executive order that codifies generalized global missions for which the GRF needs to be prepared, forces that could be called upon as part of the GRF (from across the Joint community), and time lines for providing them. The time lines, among other factors, make the GRF an important national asset for rapid responses to unforeseen or, more specifically, unplanned operations. One part of ensuring the GRF works is having working concepts and a generalized and specific understanding of what global access means to the GRFs mandate. For rapid time lines, the GRF may not have considerable advanced planning for access, meaning there is a need to develop a strategic view of what access means. From the standpoint of the 82nd, global access means defining what potential or likely operations might look like. This includes having soldiers trained and equipped for the specific missions and a vision of how they will work with the United States Air Force (USAF) for lift and support and within the constraints and demands of specific combatant commands (CCMDs) and Joint Staff. This requires a common understanding of GRF operations from a Joint perspective.