Pace-Finletter MOU 1952
Encyclopedia
On 4 November, 1952, a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) was signed between United States Air Force
Secretary Thomas K. Finletter
and United States Army
Secretary Frank Pace
that removed the weight restrictions on helicopter
s that the U.S. Army could use. It also widened the range of tasks the Army's helicopters could be used for. However, it also created an arbitrary 5,000 pounds
weight restriction that limits the Army's ability to fly fixed wing aircraft. As a result, the U.S. Army today is dependent upon the U.S. Air Force to purchase and man fixed wing ground-attack aircraft to fulfill close air support
missions.
was the splitting off of the U.S. Army Air Corps from the U.S. Army, and creating the U.S. Air Force. With the Air Force's natural inclination towards Air Superiority and Strategic (i.e., nuclear) priorities, the Army wanted some air capabilities of its own. However, this would mean the duplication of some resources between the Army and Air Force. Eventually there came to be a meeting between Air Force Secretary Thomas K. Finletter
and Army Secretary Frank Pace
resulted in the Pace-Finletter MOU of 4 November 1952.
The previous Agreement of 2 October 1951 that was not able to resolve issues as the 4 November 1952 MOU did.
This MOU built upon the Key West Agreement
,.
that had been established in 1947.
Other people blame this agreement for the Air Force's perceived ignoring the needs of (Air to) Ground Support other than the A-10 Thunderbolt II
or Warthog.
The Air Force had tried to retire and/or transfer to the Reserves its entire A-10 fleet, replacing them with the F-16 Fighting Falcon
, just before the First Gulf War. The First Gulf War proved the value of the A-10 in the CAS (Close Air Support) role, while also showing the limitations of the F-16 as a CAS aircraft.
alternatives such as the (two-seat) N/AW A-10B Warthog:
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
(MOU) was signed between United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Secretary Thomas K. Finletter
Thomas K. Finletter
Thomas Knight Finletter , was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman.-Biography:Finletter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas Dickson Finletter and Helen Grill Finletter...
and United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Secretary Frank Pace
Frank Pace
Frank Pace, Jr. was a the 3rd United States Secretary of the Army and business executive.-Biography:Pace was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania...
that removed the weight restrictions on helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s that the U.S. Army could use. It also widened the range of tasks the Army's helicopters could be used for. However, it also created an arbitrary 5,000 pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
weight restriction that limits the Army's ability to fly fixed wing aircraft. As a result, the U.S. Army today is dependent upon the U.S. Air Force to purchase and man fixed wing ground-attack aircraft to fulfill close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
missions.
"...that established a fixed wing weight limit (for the Army) of five thousand pounds empty, but weight restrictions on helicopters were eliminated..." (Pushing the Envelope, pg. 196)
Background
One of the consequences of President Harry S Truman creating the modern U.S. Defense DepartmentUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
was the splitting off of the U.S. Army Air Corps from the U.S. Army, and creating the U.S. Air Force. With the Air Force's natural inclination towards Air Superiority and Strategic (i.e., nuclear) priorities, the Army wanted some air capabilities of its own. However, this would mean the duplication of some resources between the Army and Air Force. Eventually there came to be a meeting between Air Force Secretary Thomas K. Finletter
Thomas K. Finletter
Thomas Knight Finletter , was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman.-Biography:Finletter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas Dickson Finletter and Helen Grill Finletter...
and Army Secretary Frank Pace
Frank Pace
Frank Pace, Jr. was a the 3rd United States Secretary of the Army and business executive.-Biography:Pace was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania...
resulted in the Pace-Finletter MOU of 4 November 1952.
The previous Agreement of 2 October 1951 that was not able to resolve issues as the 4 November 1952 MOU did.
This MOU built upon the Key West Agreement
Key West Agreement
The Key West Agreement is the colloquial name for the policy paper Function of the Armed Forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff drafted by James V. Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense...
,.
The agreement
The agreement read:Consequences
Some people credit this agreement for the Army's having been freed up to develop the Helicopter-based United States Army Aviation BranchUnited States Army Aviation Branch
The Aviation Branch of the United States Army is the administrative organization within the Army responsible for doctrine, manning and configuration for all aviation units....
that had been established in 1947.
Other people blame this agreement for the Air Force's perceived ignoring the needs of (Air to) Ground Support other than the A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
or Warthog.
The Air Force had tried to retire and/or transfer to the Reserves its entire A-10 fleet, replacing them with the F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, just before the First Gulf War. The First Gulf War proved the value of the A-10 in the CAS (Close Air Support) role, while also showing the limitations of the F-16 as a CAS aircraft.
See also
- Key West AgreementKey West AgreementThe Key West Agreement is the colloquial name for the policy paper Function of the Armed Forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff drafted by James V. Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense...
of 1948 - Ground-attack aircraft
- Close air supportClose air supportIn military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
- Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966The Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966 was an agreement between United States Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson and United States Air Force Chief of Staff General John P. McConnell on 6 April 1966. The U.S. Army agreed to give up its fixed-wing tactical airlift aircraft, while the U.S....
Directly on topic
- {REPEAT OF ABOVE REFERENCE} One of the better descriptions of how the MOU came to be can be found in: 'A History of Army Aviation: From Its Beginnings to the War on Terror' By James Williams, pages 53, 54, etc.
- Medium useful: century-of-flight.net's web page "Helicopters at War"
- Less useful: "Historical and Architectural Overview of Military Aircraft Hangars: Chapter 5 Overview of the Cold War Years", page 5-5, Principal Investigator: Julie L. Webster.
Tangential
One consequence of the MOU was a lack of enthusiasm for Close air supportClose air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
alternatives such as the (two-seat) N/AW A-10B Warthog: