US Air Force is ‘too small’ ?

It is not only European, and some Asian air arms, that are going through a crisis of decreasing combat aircraft numbers, but the USAF which considers itself as being “too small” to meet future tasks. Secretary of the US Air Force Heather Wilson has recently detailed plans to increase the Service’s number of operational squadrons to reach 386 units in the timeframe 2025-2030.

The USAF’s strength has declined from 401 operational squadrons at the end of the Cold War. “We know from analysis that the air force is too small for what the nation expects of us”, she said. The “(present) 312 operational squadrons are not enough. The air force we need to implement the National Defence Strategy has 386 operational squadrons.”

In the plans, 22 additional units would be allocated for command and control and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, 14 mid-air refuellers, 9 combat search and rescue, 7 fighters, 7 special operations, 7 space, 5 bombers, 2 remotely-piloted aircraft, and 1 for airmen. “It is time to get back to our expeditionary roots” said USAF Chief Gen David Goldfein. “The next phase of work is preparing the air force we need for multi-domain operations; the convergence of military capabilities in any or all domains to achieve military objectives on a global scale”.