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Posted on 11/02/2007 1:36:49 PM PDT by DesScorp
Does the United States Air Force (USAF) fit into the post–September 11 world, a world in which the military mission of U.S. forces focuses more on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency? Not very well. Even the new counterinsurgency manual authored in part by Gen. David H. Petraeus, specifically notes that the excessive use of airpower in counterinsurgency conflict can lead to disaster.
In response, the Air Force has gone on the defensive. In September 2006, Maj. Gen. Charles Dunlap Jr. published an article in Armed Forces Journal denouncing "boots on the ground zealots," and insisting that airpower can solve the most important problems associated with counterinsurgency. The Air Force also recently published its own counterinsurgency manual elaborating on these claims. A recent op-ed by Maj. Gen. Dunlap called on the United States to "think creatively" about airpower and counterinsurgency -- and proposed striking Iranian oil facilities.
Surely, this is not the way the United States Air Force had planned to celebrate its 60th anniversary. On Sept. 18, 1947, Congress granted independence to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), the branch of the U.S. Army that had coordinated the air campaigns against Germany and Japan.
But it's time to revisit the 1947 decision to separate the Air Force from the Army. While everyone agrees that the United States military requires air capability, it's less obvious that we need a bureaucratic entity called the United States Air Force. The independent Air Force privileges airpower to a degree unsupported by the historical record. This bureaucratic structure has proven to be a continual problem in war fighting, in procurement, and in estimates of the costs of armed conflict. Indeed, it would be wrong to say that the USAF is an idea whose time has passed. Rather, it's a mistake that never should have been made.
(Excerpt) Read more at prospect.org ...
Month? Of the Century gets my vote
You forgot the Dep. Of Education, Dep. Of Welfare, Public Broadcasting. These liberals seem to forget the Main purpose of the Government is to protect its people. The rest of the stuff is un-Constitutional and should be eliminated first.
We have the world's most capable Air Force. Let's scrap it!
What an idiot.
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All branches serve a purpose.
There is plenty of pork we could cut in the halls of Congress.
Leave the military ALONE.
Many caddies will be out of work. Don’t want that, do we?
Let's turn the Air Force back into the Army Air Corps.
And rename the Marines. Every other country calls their version of the Marine Corps the Naval Infantry. Then the Marines can be folded back into the Navy.
And then we can get rid of this Department of Defense silliness. No "Defense Department" ever won a war.
Time for it to be the War Department again.
Now I just have to decide whether I'm making a serious joke or I'm only jokingly serious.
Uh, who do you think already has them?
;-)
From the American Prospect, tells me all I need to know.
Robert Farley:Freaking numb-skull moonbat. Without the USAF the entire world would be speaking Russian. But Bob would prolly like that scenario.
Indeed, it would be wrong to say that the USAF is an idea whose time has passed. Rather, it's a mistake that never should have been made.
Oh Bob, and speaking of mistakes that never should have been made, how's your parents?
As an Army type, I think the idea of abolishing the AF is just liberal rhetoric. If we don’t use the AF properly it’s our fault. The same goes for the Marines, Special Forces, etc.
Sorry, but nothing says power like an F-22 Raptor demo or a Thunderbirds fly-by.
Hard to imagine 10s of thousands of people showing up to watch the “Green Devils Precision Artillary Team”...
There seem to be a lot of articles and comments on the net made against various things military because of the fact that we’re currently at war against an enemy that has no borders, navy, or air power. For example, who hasn’t seen an article about the F-22 that doesn’t have someone chiming in about how useless they are against terrorists?
It’s short sighted at the least, and downright dangerous to make decisions regarding war planning based upon the current war. People need to pull their heads out and look 5-20 years down the road.
I'm a Major and have never played a single game of golf.
Gee, does that mean I can't put my flag out and take the 12th off?
“They’d be more useful if we would LET THEM BOMB THE CRAP OUT OF OUR ENEMIES. “
Agree 100%.
Death from above. We need to just flat out kill more of the enemy before they try and kill us. Kill em all and let Allah or the Dhims sort em out. “Blow em up, blow em up real good”.
Sooner or later we’re going to have to kill them anyway. Push always comes to shove in the real world.
Maybe the Dhims can talk the Islamofascist Nazi’s to death instead.
I doubt it.
I love the A 10’s.
F4J.......physical proof that if you put big enough engines in a brick, it will fly...
Never make O-6 that way...
My question is the same for all time. How do we best defend this nation? If the Air Force is part of that, it remains a vital part of the triumvirate. If not, they should be absorbed elsewhere.
Which outfit is doing the Lord's work preparing for the next war, or even later in this one. Is the Air Force providing needed innovation to help keep us one step ahead of the bad guys? Can the Air Force do things the Army, Navy and Marines can't and aren't interested in developing?
Would we be better off with just one branch of the military? What would you call it? The United States Military? Heck, maybe that's the right direction.
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