ALS Study Guide 2026

What was created by the National Security Act of 1947?

The National Security Council.

What were the key provisions of the Goldwater-Nichols Act 1986?

Required the President to report the National Security Strategy
Gave power to the SecDef
Established the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the principal advisor, &
Made combatant commands report directly to the SecDef/POTUS

What are the three levels of warfare?

Strategic: National policy decisions → defense/military strategy
Operational: Combatant commanders apply operational art
Tactical: Execution of battles and engagements

What are the U.S. two general forms of warfare?

Conventional and Irregular

What is the role of the Army?

Responsible for the preparation of land forces necessary for the effective prosecution of war and military operations.
Equipped primarily for prompt and sustained combat incident to operations on land, and to support the other military Services and joint forces

What is the Air Force missions?

Achieve and maintain superiority across all domains through the application of
air-power to gain a distinct advantage over our adversaries.

What is the Space Force mission?

Conduct global space operations that enhance the way our joint and coalition forces fight, while also offering decision makers military options to achieve national objectives.

What is the Army mission?

To deploy, fight, and win our Nation's wars by providing ready, prompt, and sustained land dominance by armed forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the Joint Force.

What is the Marine Corps mission?

Provides fleet marine forces of combined arms, together with supporting air components, for service with the fleet in the seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and for the conduct of such land operations as may be essential to the prosecution of a naval campaign.

What is the Navy mission?

To protect America at sea; defends freedom, preserves economic prosperity, and keeps the seas open and free.

What is the National Guard mission?

Has a unique dual mission that consists of both Federal and state roles; includes action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms, fires, earthquakes, or civil disturbances.

What is the Coast Guard mission?

Organized under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, this branch fulfills its mission to ensure our Nation's maritime safety, security, and stewardship; saves those in peril and protects the Nation from all maritime threats.
During times of war this branch serves under the Navy.

What does AFRICOM do?

With partners, counters trans-national threats and malign actors, strengthens security forces, and responds to humanitarian crises in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability, and prosperity.

What does CENTCOM do?

Directs and enables military operations and activities with allies and partners to increase regional security and stability in support of enduring U.S. interests.

What does CYBERCOM do?

Directs, synchronizes, and coordinates cyberspace planning and operations - to defend and advance national interests - in collaboration with domestic and international partners.

What does EUCOM do?

Executes a full range of multi-domain operations in coordination with allies and partners to support NATO, deter Russia, enable global operations, and counter trans-national threats in order to defend the Homeland forward and fortify Euro-Atlantic security.

What does INDOPACOM do?

Implements a combat credible deterrence strategy capable of denying our adversaries' sustained air and sea dominance by focusing on posturing the Joint Force to win before fighting while being ready to fight and win, if required.

What does NORTHCOM do?

Defends our homeland - deters, detects, denies, and defeats threats to the United States, conducts security cooperation activities with allies and partners, and supports civil authorities.

INDOPACOM

-Headquarters: Camp HM Smith, Hawaii
-Comprised of 36 Nations
-Committed to enhancing stability in the Asia-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression, and, when necessary, fighting to win.

SOUTHCOM

-Headquarters: Doral, Florida
-Comprised of 31 countries
-Responsible for providing contingency planning, term-5 operations, and security cooperation for Central and South America, and the Caribbean

List the five core missions of the U.S. Air Force.

-Air Superiority,
-ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance),
-Rapid Global Mobility,
-Global Strike,
-Command & Control.

What is an example of Air Superiority?

OPERATION DESERT STORM: coalition forces launched 812 combat sorties within a 24-hour period, effectively neutralizing Iraq's command and control capability. Within 25 days, the Iraqi Air Force halted flight operations entirely, freeing the coalition of concern over any credible enemy air attack

What is an example of ISR?

OPERATION UNIFIED RESPONSE: Imagery provided from unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites, as well as open source and human intelligence gathered on the ground, helped planners determine how to get relief workers and supplies where they were needed and to ensure their safety once in country

What is an example Rapid Global Mobility?

OPERATION JUST CAUSE: The Air Force launched critical Joint Force elements from bases such as Charleston Air Force Base, used for personnel and supply transport, and Pope Air Force Base, used to deploy Army Rangers from the 82d Airborne Division. Overall, the Air Force employed 80 C-141, 22 C-130, and 11 C-5 aircraft which played a crucial role in OPERATION JUST CAUSE ending in just over 40 days

What is an example of Global Strike?

OPERATION DELIBERATE FORCE: Partnered with 15 nations as well as ground and naval forces, U.S. aircraft flew roughly two-thirds of the operation's 3,515 sorties, hitting 97 percent of intended targets and destroying or significantly damaging 80 percent of them

What is an example of Command and Control?

OPERATION ODYSSEY DAWN: A complement of unique service capabilities secured mission success. While the U.S. Navy played a critical role with the placement of the USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean, the Air Force's employment of E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and the E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) coupled with our service's innate use of Air Operations Centers eventually brought down Al-Qaddafi and his regime.

What is the JPP?

An orderly, analytical set of logical steps to frame a problem; examine a
mission; develop, analyze, and compare alternative Courses Of Action (COAs); select the best COA; and produce a plan or order.

What does DIME-FIL ensure?

Instruments of National Power that ensure US investment in critical relationships with like-minded foreign allies and partners

What is the Competition Continuum?

Describes a world of enduring competition conducted through a mixture of Cooperation, Competition, and Armed Conflict.

(Instruments of National Power) What does "DIME-FIL" stand for?

-Diplomatic,
-Informational,
-Military,
-Economic,
-Financial,
-Intelligence,
-Law Enforcement.

Who is the principal assistant to the President for all DoD matters?

The Secretary of Defense (SecDef).

Name the two types of combatant commands.

Geographic Commands: Cover designated areas (e.g., CENTCOM, EUCOM).
Functional Commands: No specific area, focused on mission sets (e.g., CYBERCOM, STRATCOM).

What is the goal of JADO?

To integrate all domains (air, land, sea, space, cyber) through mission command, delegation, information sharing, and multi-domain planning.

What is JADO?

Doctrine publication that establishes a framework for air and space components supporting Joint All-Domain Operations

What are the JADO principles?

-Mission Command
-Delegation of Authority
-Information Sharing
-Integrated Multi-Domain Planning
-Risk Identification and Mitigation
-Synergistic Effects
-Flexibility and Versatility
-Concentration

What is the purpose of Agile Combat Employment (ACE)?

-To increase survivability and generate combat power through rapid, resilient operations in contested environments.
-Disperses forces, complicates enemy’s targeting process, & creates flexibility for friendly forces,
-Addresses technology advances in ISR and fiscal constraints.

What are the key principles of Mission Command?

-Commander's Intent,
-Shared Understanding,
-Disciplined Initiative,
-Mutual Trust,
-Prudent Risk.

What are the five C's of Mission Command?

-Character,
-Competence,
-Capability,
-Cohesion,
-Capacity.

What are the four phases of AFFORGEN?

Prepare, Certify/Ready, Available to Commit, Reset.

What are the stages of the Competition Continuum?

Cooperation: Working with partners
Competition: Active engagement with adversaries short of conflict
Armed Conflict/War: Military engagement

What are the steps of the Joint Planning Process? (JPP)

-Planning Initiation,
-Mission Analysis,
-COA (Course of Action) Development,
-COA Analysis/Wargaming,
-COA Comparison,
-COA Approval,
-Plan/Order Development.

Space Force Core Values

-Character,
-Connection,
-Commitment,
-Courage

Coast Guard Core Values

-Honor,
-Respect, &
-Devotion to Duty

Marine Corp Core Values

-Honor,
-Courage, &
-Commitment

Navy Core Values

-Honor,
-Courage, &
-Commitment

Army Core Values

-Loyalty,
-Duty,
-Respect,
-Selfless service,
-Honor,
-Integrity, &
-Personal courage

What is Unified Action?

The synchronization, coordination, and/or integration of the activities of governmental and nongovernmental entities with military operations to achieve Unity of Effort

Unity of Effort

Coordination and cooperation toward common objectives, even if the participants are not necessarily part of the same command or organization - the product of successful unified action.

What are the two distinct Chain of Commands?

Operational and Administrative

What is the Operational Chain of Command?

President → SecDef → Combatant Commanders

What is the Administrative Chain of Command?

President → SecDef → Secretaries of Military Departments

What are the National Defense Strategies 4 priorities?

-Defending the homeland,
-Deterring strategic attacks,
-Deterring aggression, &
-Building a resilient Joint Force and defense ecosystem.

Mission Ready Airmen need to…

Be Deployment Ready, Fit to Fight, and Have a green IMR.

What is the first 10 commandments of the Constitution?

The Bill of Rights

What is the Tactical level of warfare?

"The level where the conduct of battles and engagements seeks to achieve military objectives assigned to joint force commanders and subordinate units."

What is the Operational level of warfare?

"The level where the application of operational art links strategy and tactics through campaigns and operations."

During which step of the JPP are the selected COAs refined, prioritized, and further analyzed?

COA Comparison
-Planners compare and evaluate the potential courses of action to determine the most suitable option for execution.

What is the term for the cooperation, coordination, and integration of the activities of governmental and nongovernmental entities with military operations to achieve a unified action?

Joint Interorganizational Coordination (JIC)

What is the Air Force's core mission that provides access to reliable communications and information networks for joint operations?

Command and Control

What is the Air Force's core mission that involves the ability to project military power more rapidly, more flexibly, and with a lighter footprint than other options?

Global Strike

What is Command and Control (C2)?

The AF core mission that uses the specialized skills of over 53,000 Airmen to provide robust, adaptable, and survivable systems that enable the joint team to operate globally at a high tempo and level of intensity.

What is Global strike?

The AF core mission that uses the expertise of over 26,000 Airmen to credibly threaten and effectively hold any target on the planet at risk and, if necessary, disabling or destroying it promptly.

What does ACE aim to achieve regarding adversary responses?

Positions the force to complicate or negate adversary responses, allowing freedom of friendly action across domains.

Which entity is primarily responsible for coordinating and overseeing national security efforts in the United States?

The National Security Council (NSC)

What is the Strategic level of warfare?

The level where national policy decisions are integrated into the development and promulgation of national, defense, and military strategies.

What is Mission Command?

-The philosophy promoting flexibility, agility, & effective decision-making throughout complex operational environments.
-Empowers agile and adaptive leaders within the commander's intent.

Exercises operational Command and Control (C2) over the Combatant Commands (CCMDS)

President & SecDef

In the ____, Combatant Commanders (CCDRs) exercise Combatant Commands over assigned forces and Operational Control (OPCON) or Tactical Control (TACON) of attached forces.

Operational Chain of Command

Providing humanitarian relief to Canada is an example of what in DIME-FIL?

Diplomatic

Investigating threats to homeland security is an example of what in the DIME-FIL?

Law Enforcement

In DIME-FIL, ___ activities include the capacity and capability building of partner militaries & humanitarian aid.

Military

Members capable of accomplishing tasks outside of their core AFSC.

Multi-Capable Airmen

In this JPP step, the staff briefs the CC on the COA comparison/analysis & war-gaming results

COA Approval

In this JPP step, there may be Operation Orders (OPORDS), Warning Orders (WARNORDS), Fragmentary Orders (FRAGORDS), etc.

Plan or Order Development

The desired end state and purpose of an operation

Commander’s Intent

Enhances the effectiveness & efficiency of joint operations by leveraging the capabilities & resources of various organizations

Joint Interorganizational Coordination (JIC)

The solemn promise that enlisted members of the US military make when they join the service.

The Oath of Enlistment

___ lead and manage enlisted personnel, ensuring their readiness, welfare, & professional development.

NCOs & petty officers

Freedom of Speech, religion, press, assembly, & the right to a fair trial are a part of…

The Bill of Rights

In charge of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Joint Staff, Military Departments, & Combatant Commands

The Secretary of Defense (SecDef)