U.S. Air Force's Revealed Force Strategy, Remaining Confidential, To Prized on Financial Sustainability
Spicing Up the Skies: The Next-Gen Air Force
In a massive shakeup, the Air Force is working on its first major overhaul of the force design since decades ago. General David A. Harris, deputy chief of staff of Air Force Futures, explains that this new force isn't just fiscally informed, it's agile and adaptable, ready to tackle any emerging threats.
"I can conjure up the most amazing Air Force imaginable, but the question remains, can we afford it? What we can do instead is develop a solid argument for additional resources to justify why we need these systems to work in harmony," Harris said during the Airpower Futures Forum.
The new force design, driven by lethality, survivability, mass, and connectivity, is under close scrutiny by General David W. Goldfein, the chief of staff. The focus is on striking a balance between power and practicality, addressing key functions such as air superiority, global strike, rapid global mobility, command and control, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Shedding light on the three 'Mission Areas', General Goldfein outlined capabilities that can be based close to an adversary, long-range capabilities positioned far away ready to penetrate contested environments, and general-purpose capabilities that can adapt to various situations.
When asked about the future of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform, Harris remained cryptic. "The NGAD decision will impact force structure and development, but it's not about the platform itself. It's about the systems coming together and replicating the effects of that system in different mission areas," he said.
The cost of the NGAD platform, with estimates ranging from $200 million to $300 million, has sparked some debate about where investments should be made. Harris pointed out that a decision to invest more in certain areas might mean reduced resources in others, emphasizing the importance of understanding the strategic landscape and potential threats.
The new force design, incorporating groundbreaking technologies like the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, aims to leverage both manned and unmanned platforms. The CCA program integrates drones for a variety of missions, boosting overall combat capabilities. By prioritizing survivability, mass, and connectivity, the Air Force aims to outpace adversaries and maintain its dominance in the skies.
The CCA program is integral to this strategy, with capabilities like manned-unmanned teaming, advanced networking, and AI enhancing both situational awareness and mission coordination. The Air Force is also investing in the Experimental Operations Unit (EOU), a critical player in evaluating and advancing CCA technology to ensure swift development and deployment.
As the Air Force battles for supremacy in the skies, the focus is on adaptability, innovation, and cost-effectiveness. The new force design represents a bold step forward, promising a new era of Air Force capabilities. Let's see how the battle unfolds!
Juicy Details:The U.S. Air Force's new force design, as initiated by projects like the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, concentrates on four primary elements: lethality, survivability, mass, and connectivity. Here's a sneak peek into these crucial areas:
- Lethality:
- The CCA program fuses drones capable of performing various roles, such as strike missions, electronic warfare, and surveillance, boosting the Air Force's combat effectiveness and adaptability.
- The blend of unmanned systems with crewed aircraft, including the F-35 and F-22, amplifies overall combat power.
- Survivability:
- Utilizing manned-unmanned teaming, the Air Force strives to reduce risks to human pilots by deploying platforms ranging from attritable to highly survivable.
- Distributed operations increase combat complexity, making it harder for adversaries to defend themselves.
- Mass:
- The concept of "affordable mass" lies at the heart of the Air Force's strategy. By deploying large numbers of drones, which can be more cost-effective than traditional crewed aircraft, the Air Force aims to counter near-peer adversaries with formidable airpower capabilities.
- Connectivity:
- The merging of CCAs with crewed aircraft enhances situational awareness and mission coordination. Sophisticated networking and AI facilitate seamless communication and data exchange, improving real-time decision-making.
Funding and Prioritization- Funding: While specific funding details for the CCA program are not widely publicized, the Air Force stresses the cost-effectiveness of unmanned systems. The program forms part of a broader strategic initiative focused on maintaining an edge in autonomous technologies.- Prioritization: The Air Force puts a premium on rapid deployment, adaptability, and innovation. This is evident in the activation of the Experimental Operations Unit (EOU), whose role is to evaluate and advance CCA technology, ensuring speedy development and fielding in preparation for future combat operations.
- The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, a crucial part of the new Air Force design, focuses on increasing the Air Force's lethality by integrating drones for diverse missions, strengthening combat capabilities with the combination of manned and unmanned platforms.
- In the realm of survivability, the Air Force employs manned-unmanned teaming to minimize risks to human pilots by deploying platforms ranging from attritable to highly survivable, making operations more complex and difficult for adversaries to defend.
- The new Air Force design prioritizes mass, with a strategic emphasis on deploying large numbers of drones, which are often more cost-effective than traditional crewed aircraft, to counter near-peer adversaries with formidable airpower capabilities.
- Enhanced connectivity is another vital aspect of the new Air Force design, as the merging of CCAs with crewed aircraft improves situational awareness and mission coordination through sophisticated networking and AI, enabling seamless communication and data exchange, and improving real-time decision-making.
- In terms of funding and prioritization, while the specific budget for the CCA program isn't widely disclosed, there's a clear emphasis on the cost-effectiveness of unmanned systems and a strategic initiative focusing on maintaining an edge in autonomous technologies. Additionally, the Air Force prioritizes rapid deployment, adaptability, and innovation, as evident in the activation of the Experimental Operations Unit (EOU), responsible for evaluating and advancing CCA technology for speedy development and fielding in preparation for future combat operations.
