Size Matters: A Slim U.S. Air Force Can’t Go Toe-To-Toe With China
ByMackenzie EaglenPublished7 hours ago
The U.S. Air Force Seems To Have a Size and Capabilities Problem: Channeling his inner Mike Mullen, a former Navy chief, the head of the US Air Force said this week that those worried about America’s shrinking, antique air force must “account for all the capacity within our allies and partners.”
But that same logic didn’t work for the US Navy in 2005, and it won’t help the Air Force today.
Years ago, then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Mullen outlined the new organizational concept of a “1,000-Ship Navy.” The concept of international naval and maritime collaboration and cooperation is not problematic, per se.
What is the problem is that the 1,000-ship navy gave smart cover to decisionmakers to let the US Navy stall out in fleet size. Today’s Navy is almost exactly the same size as it was in 2005—even as various leaders have repeatedly called for a bigger fleet ever since. Even as threats have changed dramatically in that same time period.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/09/size-matters-a-slim-u-s-air-force-cant-go-toe-to-toe-with-china/
