Post by kb on Jul 24, 2011 12:54:57 GMT 12
The future scenario. Even the U.S. is having to watch it's dollars!
An interesting article.
Air Force, Navy team up for 21st Century fight
by Mitch Gettle
Air Force Public Affairs Agency
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Phil Breedlove
discussed the Air Force's enduring capabilities, the Air-Sea Battle concept
and the Long Range Strike family of systems at a Mitchell Institute for Air
Power Studies event here July 20.
Speaking to members of the Department of Defense, international community
and industry leaders, General Breedlove said that in order to meet both
budgetary and modernization goals, the Air Force must focus on the
distinctive capabilities that the service brings to the fight.
"If we are to survive this period and come out of it with an Air Force that
America's people will recognize in ten years, we're going to have to focus
on those core, distinctive Air Force missions," General Breedlove said.
The general referenced Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz's 2011
CSAF Vector, outlining these distinctive capabilities as: establishing and
exploiting control in air, space, and cyberspace; holding any target on the
globe at risk; responsive, full-spectrum intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; rapid logistics; and superior command and control.
While the Air Force remains the world's preeminent air and space power, the
U.S. military succeeds or fails as a joint team, General Breedlove said.
As such, the Departments of the Air Force and Navy are currently developing
the Air-Sea Battle concept, he said. This operational concept describes a
unified approach to address the evolving Anti-Access/Area Denial
environment, in which adversaries seek asymmetric ways of opposing the
movement of U.S. military forces into their region.
"Our nation's Air Force and our nation's Navy, with the Marines, have some
very unique, global applications," General Breedlove said. "We will succeed
or fail in the A2/AD environment as a joint team with our naval brethren."
One of the conclusions that emerged from the service's Air-Sea Battle
discussions was the continuing need for long-range strike capability, the
general said. To that end, the Air Force is working with the DOD to develop
and refine its concept of a Long Range Strike family of systems.
These systems will include strike; intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance; and electronic attack capabilities, among others, he said.
"Central to the family of systems is the acquisition of a long-range,
penetrating bomber," General Breedlove said. "The bomber will not be an
exquisite, lone-wolf platform capable of accomplishing all the missions by
itself. Rather, it will be a part of that entire family of systems, relying
on other capabilities, as well as its own, to accomplish its mission."
The Air Force estimates it will need 80 to 100 Long Range Strike bombers to
meet future needs and affordability is a key parameter, according to General
Breedlove.
"The Long Range Strike bomber will be designed and developed using proven
technologies," he said. "We don't want to lean very far forward; we need to
be able to afford this system."
Budgetary constraints will not only affect how the Air Force and DOD
approach the bomber acquisition, but will have to be considered in all of
the military activities, General Breedlove said.
"I believe that when we combine the Air Force's unique, asymmetric
contributions to national defense, with the complementary capabilities of
our Joint and coalition partners, we will succeed as we have in the past,
but we will have to be more frugal as we move forward," he said.
An interesting article.
Air Force, Navy team up for 21st Century fight
by Mitch Gettle
Air Force Public Affairs Agency
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Phil Breedlove
discussed the Air Force's enduring capabilities, the Air-Sea Battle concept
and the Long Range Strike family of systems at a Mitchell Institute for Air
Power Studies event here July 20.
Speaking to members of the Department of Defense, international community
and industry leaders, General Breedlove said that in order to meet both
budgetary and modernization goals, the Air Force must focus on the
distinctive capabilities that the service brings to the fight.
"If we are to survive this period and come out of it with an Air Force that
America's people will recognize in ten years, we're going to have to focus
on those core, distinctive Air Force missions," General Breedlove said.
The general referenced Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz's 2011
CSAF Vector, outlining these distinctive capabilities as: establishing and
exploiting control in air, space, and cyberspace; holding any target on the
globe at risk; responsive, full-spectrum intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; rapid logistics; and superior command and control.
While the Air Force remains the world's preeminent air and space power, the
U.S. military succeeds or fails as a joint team, General Breedlove said.
As such, the Departments of the Air Force and Navy are currently developing
the Air-Sea Battle concept, he said. This operational concept describes a
unified approach to address the evolving Anti-Access/Area Denial
environment, in which adversaries seek asymmetric ways of opposing the
movement of U.S. military forces into their region.
"Our nation's Air Force and our nation's Navy, with the Marines, have some
very unique, global applications," General Breedlove said. "We will succeed
or fail in the A2/AD environment as a joint team with our naval brethren."
One of the conclusions that emerged from the service's Air-Sea Battle
discussions was the continuing need for long-range strike capability, the
general said. To that end, the Air Force is working with the DOD to develop
and refine its concept of a Long Range Strike family of systems.
These systems will include strike; intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance; and electronic attack capabilities, among others, he said.
"Central to the family of systems is the acquisition of a long-range,
penetrating bomber," General Breedlove said. "The bomber will not be an
exquisite, lone-wolf platform capable of accomplishing all the missions by
itself. Rather, it will be a part of that entire family of systems, relying
on other capabilities, as well as its own, to accomplish its mission."
The Air Force estimates it will need 80 to 100 Long Range Strike bombers to
meet future needs and affordability is a key parameter, according to General
Breedlove.
"The Long Range Strike bomber will be designed and developed using proven
technologies," he said. "We don't want to lean very far forward; we need to
be able to afford this system."
Budgetary constraints will not only affect how the Air Force and DOD
approach the bomber acquisition, but will have to be considered in all of
the military activities, General Breedlove said.
"I believe that when we combine the Air Force's unique, asymmetric
contributions to national defense, with the complementary capabilities of
our Joint and coalition partners, we will succeed as we have in the past,
but we will have to be more frugal as we move forward," he said.
