What allows ground commanders to employ forces effectively against threats inside their areas of responsibility?

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) is crucial for ground commanders as it provides the necessary situational awareness and understanding of the operational environment. By gathering and analyzing data about enemy positions, movements, and capabilities, ISR enables commanders to make informed decisions regarding the deployment and maneuvering of forces. It facilitates the identification of potential threats, allowing for timely and effective responses. ISR informs strategies, ensuring that commanders can prioritize resources and execute missions efficiently within their designated areas of responsibility.

In this context, while defensive and offensive counter air strategies are important for air defense and offensive operations, they do not directly address the fundamental need for comprehensive situational awareness that ISR provides. Tactical Data Links play an essential role in information sharing and communication between forces but rely on the foundational intelligence gathered by ISR to be effective.