Joint Personnel Recovery

The recovery of U.S. military forces isolated behind enemy lines is critical for morale, protection of assets, and operational security. Throughout the history of personnel recovery, time spent on the ground by a survivor / evader has been the most critical factor in determining whether they were rescued or captured. In conflicts ranging from Vietnam to Kosovo, the magic number has roughly been one hour. The majority of the isolated personnel recovered were rescued within this time frame, those who had to evade for longer than this magic hour were much less likely to be rescued. The United States Air Force has done many things to decrease this time on the ground and maximize the chances for survivor rescue. Tactics have been adapted and improved and technological developments have helped to minimize the search time. The largest remaining obstacle to a streamlined execution timeline lies with the command and control functions that reside at the air operations center.