The Joint Airborne Troop Board was a multi-service US military board tasked with creating doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures for joint airborne operations and aerial logistical support operations. It was one of several boards that existed during the early years of the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...

. The board existed from 1951 to 1956.

Background

In March and April 1948, the

Key West Agreement The Key West Agreement is the colloquial name for the policy paper Functions of the Armed Forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff drafted by James V. Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense. Its most prominent feature was an outline fo ...

outlining the division of air assets between the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

, and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...

, was drafted by the Secretary of Defense

James V. Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal came from a very strict middle-class Irish Catholic fami ...

and approved by President

Harry S Truman Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

. By April 1950, the Army airborne community was expressing an interest in transport helicopters. A panel chaired by

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

William M. Miley Major General William Maynadier "Bud" Miley (December 26, 1897 – September 24, 1997) was a senior United States Army officer and a professor of military science who fought in both World War I and World War II. During the latter, he was one of t ...

reported that troop parachutes were unsatisfactory in part because of the problems encountered in assembling scattered troops after an airdrop. The panel recommended the adoption of

convertiplane A convertiplane is defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI or World Air Sports Federation) as an aircraft which uses rotor power for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and converts to fixed-wing lift in normal flight. In the ...

s and heavy lift helicopters. On 26 April 1951, the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and t ...

approved the first two chapters of ''Joint Action Armed Forces''. On 19 September 1951, the United States Departments of the

, and

jointly published the ''Joint Action Armed Forces'' Manual (Army: FM 110–5, Navy: FAAF, Air Force: AFM 1-1). That manual tasked the United States Army with operating a joint airborne troop board.

Army members

*Major General William M. Miley, U.S. Army *Major General Albert Pierson, U.S. Army *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Robert Sink Robert Frederick Sink (April 3, 1905 – December 13, 1965) was a senior United States Army officer who fought during World War II and the Korean War, though he was most famous for his command of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of th ...

, U.S. Army

Activities

The board was located at

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cu ...

. It first sat in 1951, its establishment with Major General Miley as director pre-dating the formal publication of FM 110–5; the board was a successor to the Army Airborne Center. It last sat in 1956. George Marvin Johnson, Jr. (later a major general in the U.S. Air Force) opined that the efforts of the Joint Airborne Troop Board led to the replacement of the

C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...

transport by the

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally des ...

transport. Major General

John DeForest Barker John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, U.S. Air Force, opined that the failure of the Joint Airborne Troop Board and the other joint boards was not remarkable because they had been tasked to resolve at a lower organizational level problems which could not be resolved at as higher level.

References

{{reflist

External links

CCT at The Eye of the StormResume of Service Career of John Louis Klingenhagen, Major General
United States Department of Defense doctrine Military units and formations established in 1951 1956 disestablishments in the United States 1951 establishments in the United States