Which air action requires detailed integration with ground forces?

• A. Close Air Support: Air action in close proximity requiring detailed integration
• B. Air Interdiction: Air Ops conducted at distance that detailed integration is not required
• C. Terminal Guidance Operations: Guidance to weapons or aircraft
• D. OPORD: Directive issued by a commander

Answer: (A)

Coordinating air actions with ground forces in close proximity requires detailed integration. Close air support is defined by air action conducted near friendly troops and demands precise, real-time coordination with ground maneuver to synchronize timing, targeting, and deconfliction. This level of integration ensures that air delivered effects support the ground scheme without endangering troops, and it relies on clear communication, mutual situational awareness, and compatible command and control measures.

Air interdiction, by contrast, is carried out at a distance from friendly forces and does not require the same degree of ongoing ground-force integration. Terminal guidance operations involve guiding a weapon or aircraft to a target, but that function doesn’t inherently involve the broader, continuous ground-force coordination characteristic of CAS. An OPORD is a command directive outlining execution tasks, not a specific air action type that mandates ground-force integration. Thus, the air action that requires detailed integration with ground forces is close air support.