US Air Fore “Stretched Thin”

longknife

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Sep 21, 2012
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Two studies by organizations with good records – and probably staffed by people who’ve been in the pilot seats.

In almost no cases could the Air Force meet 100 percent of demand, according to RAND’s calculations. In a long regional conflict, the Air Force could only meet 62% of attack and 65% of strike requirements, but it could supply 92% of aerial tanker demand.


And then comes this:


The estimates are dismaying: in a peacekeeping/no-fly zone scenario, the Air Force could only meet 29 percent of C3ISR requirements, 32 percent of tanker demand, 40 percent of special operations missions, and 46 percent of bomber missions.

That’s discouraging.

Meanwhile, a GAO report reveals that from 2011 to 2016, the Air Force and Navy failed to meet goals for aircraft availability. Examining availability of 13 Air Force and Navy aircraft models, including the B-52, F-22, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and AV-8B Harrier, GAO found severe issues such as delayed depot maintenance, needed parts that were no longer manufactured, lack of mechanics, and aircraft flying beyond their service life.

And it’s not just the USAF.

For its part, the Navy has been shuffling aircraft to keep deployed squadrons up to strength, leaving non-deployed units with insufficient planes for training.

And we all know the solutions.

There are the usual no-brainer solutions for American airpower: more planes, better maintenance, fewer deployments. But the real problem is that the U.S. military has to prepare for a variety of missions, including peacekeeping or counterinsurgency operations that may be not combat-heavy, but are maintenance-intensive. And it has to do it with a fleet of expensive, aging and frequently finicky aircraft.

From The Air Force Is Stretched Dangerously Thin
 
The US Air Force plans a massive expansion to take on Russia and China

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Here’s the most amazing statement about the whole thing:

Additionally, the move would require the Air Force to bring on about 40,000 new people at a time when the force has a near crippling problem with retaining top talent.

Got it? All those shiny new aircraft and they don’t have the people to man and maintain them. Just where do they plan to get these people?

Much more to include a video and chart @ The US Air Force plans a massive expansion to take on Russia and China
 

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