February 9, 2020
The Complicated Combat Future of the U.S. Air Force
While the Air Force is headed in the right direction with the adoption and implementation of the Agile Combat Employment concept, it’s not enough. To compete in this era of great-power competition, it must rapidly advance these efforts on an operational scale in order to effectively win before fighting and to fight as a joint force if required.
by Maj. Gen. Brian M. Killough
For the last thirty years, the U.S. Air Force has operated with freedom from a serious attack against our main operating bases. During that time potential adversaries including the People’s Republic of China and Russia implemented a strategy to prevent the massing of airpower near their borders. This Anti-Access/Area Denial strategy relies on a potent Integrated Air and Missile Defense System combined with large quantities of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to hold our main operating bases at risk. As in military developments throughout history, there is a pattern of measure and countermeasure. To counter this strategy, U.S. forces, along with U.S. allies and partners, must learn to fight within the threat umbrella.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/complicated-combat-future-us-air-force-121226
