“The Aardvark and the Bone are flying dump trucks and require hundreds of square miles of airspace to maneuver.”
Have you looked at a map of the ME showing the Islamic State’s territory?
If we’re only looking at dealing with ISIS, then I guess B-52s would do. But in anything resembling a normal fight, we would have advanced tactical airstrips within turnaround range - and carriers.
Are we writing acquisition requirements based on this administration’s version of warfare? Or are we just trying to keep our Air Force closer to the Google golf courses?