"The US airlift fleet for moving troops, weapons, and critical supplies around the world is shrinking and growing older - a dangerous trend that could leave the military in a tight spot if war were to erupt with a major power, a new analysis warns. In particular, the challenges facing the US Air Force's airlift force could undercut its plan for keeping units dispersed and survivable in a fight with China."
"In a new Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies paper, retired Air Force Col. Robert Owen, who flew C-130 transport aircraft during his 28-year career and also served in a leadership role at Air Mobility Command, argues the current size and state of the airlift fleet may not meet potential wartime demand. "In a peer conflict," he warns, "the airlift fleet may not be sufficient to meet the movement, supply, and other logistical demands of the services.""
""The US Air Force, in particular, may not have enough airlift to support its ACE concept," Owen says, referring to the service's Agile Combat Employment strategy aimed at disaggregating assets to make it harder for an adversary to cripple US airpower in a single overwhelming strike. There are fewer aircraft available for carrying personnel and equipment into the fight, and the ones the US does have aren't the right, varied mix for a high-end war."
The US airlift fleet for moving troops, weapons, and supplies is shrinking, aging, and becoming less capable. Reduced numbers and an aging mix of C-17s, converted airliners, and helicopters limit capacity for strategic lift, aerial refueling, and intra-theater movement. Current inventory may not meet movement, supply, and logistical demands in a peer conflict. Limited variety and obsolescence undermine plans to disperse forces under Agile Combat Employment across austere Indo-Pacific locations. Fewer modern airframes reduce survivability, operational reach, and the ability to sustain high-tempo operations in a high-end war against a near-peer adversary. Investment, recapitalization, and mix diversification are necessary to restore capacity and support distributed operations.
Read at Business Insider
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