The Air Force wants to build lots of bases around the Pacific. But it still needs to determine how to protect them.
The service is collaborating with the Army to find solutions.
Audrey Decker | August 22, 2024
The Air Force and Army need to figure out how to provide base defense for small outposts around the Pacific before a key Air Force operating plan can succeed, according to the service’s top officer.
The Air Force’s strategy to become more survivable and mobile, known as Agile Combat Employment, calls for increasing the number of bases it has in the Indo-Pacific and decreasing reliance on the handful of large airfields it already has in the expansive region. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said he’d feel more confident about the service’s progress on its ACE construct “if we had a more robust active base defense, quite frankly, and that's one of those where we've been working with the Army, and that's something that the [Defense] Department has taken on as a joint requirement.”
Traditionally, the Army has provided and manned air defense systems like Patriot and THAAD at installations, but those systems are likely too costly for the Pentagon to field at multiple small island bases throughout the region. And while the Army and Air Force are working together, the services have different responsibilities and priorities for air base defense.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/08/air-force-wants-build-lots-bases-around-pacific-it-still-needs-determine-how-protect-them/399014/
