What is prioritized when air apportionment considers overall operational goals?

Air apportionment refers to the process of determining how air power will be allocated and focused to achieve the overall operational goals of a military campaign. When considering these operational goals, air superiority is prioritized as it is essential for the success of combined military operations.

Achieving air superiority ensures that friendly forces can operate without significant interference from enemy aircraft. This dominance in the air serves as a foundation for conducting various mission types, including strategic bombing, close air support, and reconnaissance. Without air superiority, ground and naval forces may be vulnerable to enemy attacks, undermining overall operational goals.

While other factors such as target acquisition, resource efficiency, and combat readiness are important, they are often contingent upon having air superiority. Effective gains in these areas can only be realized when there is control over the air, which allows for freedom of movement, safe deployment of resources, and the execution of combat operations. Thus, prioritizing air superiority is crucial to ensuring that operational goals are met successfully.