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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 ...
Let’s abolish DOE, OSHA, FEMA, ATF, COE, staffers for congressrats, (along with free haircuts, lunches, retirement programs and expense money as well!)
well, everybody knows the air farce is not the real military......
They’d be more useful if we would LET THEM BOMB THE CRAP OUT OF OUR ENEMIES. Apparantly that is no longer pc./sarc
Abolish the Air Force, get UFOs instead.
I’m not going to read this left-wing crap. What an ungrateful, anti-military whackjob this “guy” is.
Nuts!
All branches serve a purpose; I would be more concerned that they adapt to the times (here and in the future).
Abolish this thread.
Hey! We need our brothers in blue and gray cammo. Who else could gas up the ground pounder’s UAV’s in the future?
LOL.....well my husband was in the air force, he said it was the “intellectual branch”.
But what about all of the nice golf courses?
The problem today is not with the Air Force, but with the policy makers. When you park the B52's you are telling the enemy and the world that there are things more important to you than military victory. More rubble means less trouble.
I respectfully disagree. While the current enemy may not require a well-trained, well-equipped Air Force, tomorrow’s may be another story.
This kind of short-sightedness ALWAYS gets us in to trouble. If we had not down-sized air defense as part of the “peace dividend” at the close of the Cold War, 9-11 might not have been so tragically effective.
Thoughts?
Back to the past?
We have the Iran fight coming up and there are advocates for “boots on the ground” as being sufficient? or eeven a large component? We do not have and do not have the prospect of having sufficient boots for this concept to be viable beyond specialized applications.
Ok, this gets my vote for most ignorant idea of the month.
Well... the air arm had been part of the U.S. Army until the National Defense Act of 1947. Reintegrating the Air Force into the Army is a good idea, IMHO.
Of course, the AmPros lefty who wrote this wants to ultimately abolish the entire American military (how `sixties’ of him), so I say,
Chuck you, Farley!
;^)
In the upcoming war with Iran, the AirForce and Navy, both so often deemed unnescessairy for the WoT, will do the lions share of fighting.
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.
Granted, the USAF wears postal uniforms and has confused military bases with country clubs, but we don’t go around disbanding an entire military branch because we might be able to get by without it for the next 15 minutes.
Enzyte. Look into it.
(Of course, I'm not a runner, either.)
:-)
“To a man, my Army friends, past and present, think USAF does a lousy job of air support in ground combat situations because they think the mission isn’t sexy enough.”
I spent time in the USAF and while its not perfect I cannot see that attitude. IMO its just another hit piece trying to be divisive.
On another note I once saw a cartoon comparing the different services. Starts with a marine in a muddy hole with bullets and bombs whizzing over his head; he says “I love how it sucks here”.
The army soldier is in a similar hole and says “ boy it sucks here”
The navy guy is looking out his porthole and says “boy it sucks over there”.
The Air Force guy is sitting in his recliner watching TV and says “WHAT NO CABLE, THIS SUCKS!!!”
Point is the services have always fought for a bigger role in whatever conflict. The USAF does an amazing job and ideas to abolish it during a time of war are naive at best. Attaching it to the Army is just plain stupid. Lets remember the Army uses comic books for training manuals.
LOL!
Next time boots on the ground are called for it will be the USAF that softens the targets and claims the sky (while waiting for the Navy to arrive) so marines and the army survive long enough to engage. If China gets bold to the west it will be the USAF that will make them think twice.
America has dominance in the seas, in the sky and on the ground - the only place we don't do so well is with the policy makers.
A resounding yes.
Your complaints should be directed against the leaders of the Air Force, not the policy makers.
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