Non-Subscriber Extract
USAF moves to address future force conundrum
By Craig Caffrey
22 September 2008
Since President George W Bush's 1 May 2003 speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) declaring an end to major combat operations in Iraq, the US Air Force (USAF) has been fighting a low-intensity war on two fronts with an inventory better suited to large-scale conflicts.
Since that time 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.
Image: The case for extending the USAF's procurement of the F-22 has seemingly been strengthened by events in the Caucasus.Credit:(Lockheed Martin)