They are America's front lines--serving proudly in forward areas around the world. Representing the very best from the Army and Air Force, the Airborne Task Force is an unstoppable combination of manpower and firepower. Now, Tom Clancy examines this elite branch of our nation's armed forces. With pinpoint accuracy and a style more compelling than any fiction, the acclaimed author of Executive Orders delivers an fascinating account of the Airborne juggernaut--the people, the technology, and Airborne's mission in an ever-changing world...*Two Tom Clancy "mini-novels"--real world scenarios involving the airborne task force*Airborne's weapons of the 21st century, including the Javelin anti-tank missile, the fiber-optically guided N-LOS fire support system, and the Joint Strike Fighter*18 weeks: Life in an Airborne Alert Brigade*Exclusive photographs, illustrations, and diagramsPLUS: An in-depth interview with the incoming commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, General John Keen A little more than thirty years ago Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimore’s Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October , sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it “the perfect yarn.” From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Acknowledgements Foreword Introduction   Airborne 101 Dragon Leader: An Interview with Lieutenant General John M. Keane, USA Fort Benning: The Paratrooper Factory Tools of the Airborne Trade The Air Force Contribution 1st Brigade/82nd Airbone: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force Division Ready Brigade: Eighteen Weeks in the Cycle The 82nd Airborne in the Real World Conclusion   Glossary Bibliography TOM CLANCY’S BESTSELLING NOVELS INCLUDE The Hunt for Red October Red Storm Rising Patriot Games The Cardinal of the Kremlin Clear and Present Danger The Sum of All Fears Without Remorse Debt of Honor Executive Orders     NONFICTION   Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship Armored Cav: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit     CREATED BY TOM CLANCY AND STEVE PIECZENIK   Tom Clancy’s Op-Center Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Games of State Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Acts of War       Most Berkley Books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs. For information write to Special Markets, The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this book are entirely those of the author, and do not necessarily correspond with those of any corporation, military service, or government organization of any country.         This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.   AIRBORNE   A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with Rubicon, Inc.   PRINTING HISTORY Berkley trade paperback edition / November 1997   All rights reserved. Copyright © 1997 by Rubicon, Inc. Author photo by John Earle. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission. For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc., 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016.   The Putnam Berkley World Wide Web site address is http://www.berkley.com   eISBN : 978-1-101-00227-8   BERKLEY® Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc., 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. BERKLEY and the “B” design are trademarks belonging to Berkley Publishing Corporation.   For Staff Sergeant William P. Tatum, III (Company E, 313th Military Intelligence Battalion), who gave his life during the JRTC 97-1 Deployment of the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division on October 8th, 1996, at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He died as he had lived, doing the job for which he had trained and prepared. Staying ready so that the rest of us might go about our lives. His. friends, family, and fellow All Americans love and miss him. Acknowledgments O nce again, this is the place where I get to introduce you to some of the folks who made this book a reality. We’ll start with my long-time partner and researcher, John D. Gresham. Once again, John traveled the country, met the people, took the pict