Skip to main content

Diigo Home

USAF Moves to Address Future Force Conundrum - The Diigo Meta page

www4.janes.com/...doc_view.jsp - Cached - Annotated View

TransTracker 's personal annotations on this page

TransTracker
Transtracker bookmarked on 2008-11-14 airpower air_force coin

  • the USAF has been criticised for spending its strained budget on programmes that have little or no relevance
    to events on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. Lockheed Martin's costly F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft has often been used
    as an example of this procurement strategy with the number to be acquired reduced from 381 to 183 as a result of political
    and budgetary pressures.


    Opponents of the programme suggest that this advanced air superiority fighter is a legacy of the Cold War and a classic example
    of a military propensity to prepare for the last war. It has been argued in Washington that money could be better spent on
    platforms with more immediate applications, particularly with regard to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets.



    However, Russia's invasion of Georgia in support of the breakaway region of South Ossetia may have strengthened the position
    of those advocating a renewed emphasis on preparing to fight future conventional wars. The case for extending the procurement
    of the F-22 has seemingly been strengthened by events in the Caucasus, even if conflict in Georgia may not establish a firm
    requirement for additional Raptors.

  • The F-22
    represents the technological pinnacle of the USAF's air-to-air combat capability; the F-35 does not.
  • at present the USAF has a ratio of one air superiority fighter (Boeing F-15 Eagles and F-22s) for every 3.5 multirole or strike
    aircraft; by 2025 this ratio will be down to one for every 10.6 F-35s.

  • However, events have conspired to lend a stronger voice to those advocates of the need for more
    expensive, advanced aircraft. The war in the Caucasus may lead to a re-evaluation of the prudence of shutting down the only
    active and planned air superiority fighter production line before potential threats are fully understood. It is entirely plausible
    that in 2020 the USAF will be accused of having focused too much on providing counterinsurgency capabilities if it finds itself
    facing a near peer in conventional warfare.


    A new multi-year contract for the F-22 is far from certain, although a small supplemental order to keep the production line
    active seems not only likely but prudent.

    • TransTracker
      Transtracker on 2008-11-14
      I think Janes is correct on both counts. The F-22 line should be kept open because we cannot assume that what we are doing today (i.e. counterinsurgency) is all that we will do in the future. Additionally, if and when the next state-on-state conflict occurs for the U.S., if we have not procured enough F-22s at that time, I guarantee that the Air Force will be criticized for having focused too much on counterinsurgency. At that point in time, I think the criticism will be correct. But, even if it were not correct, it is inevitable nonetheless. Why? Because U.S. military thought is dominated by whiggish, presentist thinking. Current "luminaries" criticize the U.S. military of the 1970s and 1980s for focusing too much on the Soviets and not enough on counterinsurgency, for not learning the supposed lessons of Vietnam. Of course, what they are doing is projecting present concerns into the past and criticizing historical actors for not being able to see the future. In fact, the U.S. military of the 1970s and 1980s did learn the right lesson from Vietnam: Don't get distracted; stay focused on the main threat--i.e. the Soviets! So, future criticism if the USAF does not purchase enough F-22s is almost guaranteed, whether or not that criticism is warranted (which I think it will be).
  • The decision to extend the F-22's line will need to be based upon known unknowns: the possibility for future advanced state-on-state
    war and the potential of the Russian and Chinese fifth-generation fighter programmes.

This link has been bookmarked by 1 people . It was first bookmarked on 14 Nov 2008, by TransTracker.

  • 14 Nov 08
    TransTracker
    TransTracker

    airpower air_force coin

    • the USAF has been criticised for spending its strained budget on programmes that have little or no relevance
      to events on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. Lockheed Martin's costly F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft has often been used
      as an example of this procurement strategy with the number to be acquired reduced from 381 to 183 as a result of political
      and budgetary pressures.


      Opponents of the programme suggest that this advanced air superiority fighter is a legacy of the Cold War and a classic example
      of a military propensity to prepare for the last war. It has been argued in Washington that money could be better spent on
      platforms with more immediate applications, particularly with regard to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets.



      However, Russia's invasion of Georgia in support of the breakaway region of South Ossetia may have strengthened the position
      of those advocating a renewed emphasis on preparing to fight future conventional wars. The case for extending the procurement
      of the F-22 has seemingly been strengthened by events in the Caucasus, even if conflict in Georgia may not establish a firm
      requirement for additional Raptors.

    • The F-22
      represents the technological pinnacle of the USAF's air-to-air combat capability; the F-35 does not.
    • 3 more annotations...

Top Tags