JANUARY 23, 2025 – The U.S. Air Force has released three doctrine publications to emphasize reoptimizing for Great Power Competition efforts: Air Force Doctrine Publication 3-0, Operations; AFDP 3-0.1, Command and Control; and AFDP 5-0, Planning.
“In this era of rapid change, Air Force doctrine is adapting to ensure we are One Air Force, ready to employ airpower to deter, and if required, prevail in conflict,” wrote Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin in a memo describing the doctrinal changes.
Together, this updated doctrine supports the service’s ‘One Force Design ,’ an initiative tailored to address the challenges of modern warfare and create a more lethal and resilient force. The initiative is aimed at strengthening structure, capabilities and strategies to meet the demands of contemporary and future warfare.
Allvin has described throughout his tenure as CSAF how the Air Force must adapt its current operations to meet the demands of today and tomorrow’s dynamic, complex and contested environments.
The ‘One Force Design’ framework integrates the Air Force’s diverse capabilities into a cohesive structure that empowers Airmen and aligns operations with national defense objectives.
“Like our force design, these doctrinal changes developed through deliberate analysis of our rich history while considering the rapidly changing strategic landscape,” Allvin stated in the memo.
This doctrine realignment builds upon the foundational work of AFDP 1, The Air Force, which adapted airpower’s central tenet to the philosophy of mission command and a Centralized Command-Distributed Control-Decentralized Execution framework. It also incorporates AFDP 1-1, Mission Command, which explored the principles and cultural elements of mission command.
These publications formed the basis of the Air Force culture, and the current evolution of doctrine ensures the service can continue to transition to a “One Air Force” operational mindset to further drive warfighting effectiveness.
AFDP 3-0, Operations, is updated to serve as the foundational doctrine on applying, commanding, and employing airpower. It focuses on the Air Force’s unique functions and capabilities, and further connects those capabilities to joint operations through the tenets of airpower and principles of joint operations.
Complementing this document is AFDP 3-0,1, Command and Control. It replaces the previous Command and Control publication, AFDP 3-30, and articulates Command and Control in the context of mission command to enable the Air Force to adapt its force presentation to respond to Great Power Competition and facilitate joint all-domain operations.
The doctrine update also includes an entirely new publication, AFDP 5-0, Planning. It establishes the Air Force Planning Process, a derivative of the joint planning process, to equip Airmen with the tools to solve complex problems, empower units of action, and prepare for future joint planning.
“The LeMay Center is proud to play a role in shaping the intellectual foundation of our service by providing the warfighter with doctrine that is timely, relevant and aligned with the National Defense Strategy,” said Maj. Gen. Parker Wright, LeMay Center commander. “The realignment of this doctrine marks a significant milestone in the Air Force’s journey to reoptimize for Great Power Competition and empower Airmen to deter and prevail in conflict.”
These new doctrine publications are available for use on the Air Force Doctrine website here.
By Tech. Sgt. Nick Z. Erwin
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs