The War Lab: Exploring the Future of Conflict

Fighting the Airbase

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Episode Description:

For decades, the U.S. Air Force has projected power from its network of air bases around the globe. But what if those bases, especially those forward-deployed, are far more vulnerable than we think? What if our adversaries, particularly China and Russia, could cripple our air power before it even leaves the ground?

In this episode, we dive into a sobering analysis of the threats facing U.S. air bases, drawing on a recent article in Air & Space Forces Magazine. We'll explore how a combination of advanced long-range precision strike weapons, a historical neglect of air base defense, and a reliance on outdated assumptions have created a critical vulnerability for the Air Force.

Join us as we examine:

  • The New Threat Landscape: Understand how China and Russia's rapidly advancing reconnaissance and long-range strike capabilities, including cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and drones, have put U.S. air bases in the crosshairs.
  • The Ghost of the Cold War: Explore how the current threat mirrors the Soviet challenge of the late Cold War and how the lessons learned then were seemingly forgotten in the intervening years.
  • The Price of Neglect: Discover how decades of underinvestment in air base defense have left the Air Force ill-prepared to withstand a modern, sophisticated attack. We'll discuss the failed attempts to harden bases like Andersen in Guam as an example.
  • Why Air Base Defense is Not Just About Protection, but Projection: Learn why the ability to generate combat sorties – launching aircraft into the fight – is the lifeblood of air power and how attacks on air bases directly threaten that capability.
  • Agile Combat Employment (ACE): A New Hope?: Explore the Air Force's concept for dispersing its forces and operating from multiple locations, and how it might mitigate the threat to air bases.
  • The Layered Defense Imperative: Understand why a combination of active defenses (like missile interceptors and directed energy weapons) and passive defenses (hardening, camouflage, and rapid runway repair) is essential.
  • The Importance of Short-Range Defenses: Learn why investing in cost-effective, short-range defenses is crucial to counter swarms of low-cost threats that could overwhelm expensive long-range systems.
  • Army to the Rescue?: Examine the critical need for inter-service cooperation, particularly with the Army, to provide ground-based air defense for Air Force bases.
  • Challenging the "Win Without Fighting" Myth: Debunk the misconception that China seeks to avoid direct conflict, and explore how Sun Tzu's teachings actually support the idea of crippling an enemy before they can mobilize.

    • We'll also discuss:

    • The limitations of the "hub-and-spoke" model of ACE.
    • The role of space and airborne early warning systems in detecting and countering threats.
    • The need for continuous investment in research, modeling, and exercises to refine air base defense strategies.

      • This episode is a wake-up call about a critical vulnerability in America's defense posture. Tune in to understand why defending our air bases is not just about protecting concrete and aircraft, but about ensuring the U.S. Air Force's ability to fight and win in the conflicts of tomorrow.

      Tags: Air Force, Air Base Defense, Military Strategy, National Security, China, Russia, Agile Combat Employment, ACE, Missile Defense, Hypersonic Weapons, Drones, Inter-Service Cooperation, US Army, Indo-Pacific, Sortie Generation.

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      The War Lab: Exploring the Future of ConflictBy CJH