CSAF White Paper: Americas 21st Century Air Force
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:25 am
SOURCE: Air Force Times
DATE: FEB 08, 2008
BY: Eric Holmes
Moseley unveils plans for the next 20 years
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley unveiled on Thursday a “white paper” that outlines the Air Force’s strategy for adapting to the challenges of warfare in the 21st century.
The 10-page paper (http://www.militarytimes.com/static/pro ... rcedoc.pdf), which Moseley presented in a speech to students at Air University, asserts the need to better employ airpower in irregular warfare while remaining prepared for conventional wars against powerful militaries.
“We owe the nation a holistic approach that balances today’s exigencies with the far-reaching, long-term implications of looming threats,” Moseley writes in the paper.
The paper has been months in the works and is the synthesis of Moseley’s thinking on the issues facing the Air Force during the next two decades. Along with examining threats such as terrorism and other militaries, the paper takes a broader look at how issues such as technological change, weapons proliferation, globalization and climate change can challenge America’s strategic footing.
The Air Force must adapt to counter such challenges, Moseley told Air University students.
“We are committed to redefining American airpower,” he said, according to an Air Force press release. “And we are going to use the white paper and our initiatives to guide our way.”
Much of the paper focuses on how the Air Force’s three fighting domains — air, space and cyberspace — can be better integrated and placed on equal footing.
“We are transforming our thinking from considering the space and cyber domains as mere enablers of air operations to a holistic approach that factors in their interdependence and leverages their unique characteristics,” the paper says.
Moseley describes the relationship of the three domains as a product that uses each to enhance the other two rather than a sum that considers each independently.
He also warns that the 21st century is a time in which America can no longer assume its military dominance.
“Perhaps for the first time in the history of warfare, the ability to inflict damage and cause strategic dislocation is no longer directly proportional to capital investment, superior motivation and training, or technological prowess,” Moseley writes.
DATE: FEB 08, 2008
BY: Eric Holmes
Moseley unveils plans for the next 20 years
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley unveiled on Thursday a “white paper” that outlines the Air Force’s strategy for adapting to the challenges of warfare in the 21st century.
The 10-page paper (http://www.militarytimes.com/static/pro ... rcedoc.pdf), which Moseley presented in a speech to students at Air University, asserts the need to better employ airpower in irregular warfare while remaining prepared for conventional wars against powerful militaries.
“We owe the nation a holistic approach that balances today’s exigencies with the far-reaching, long-term implications of looming threats,” Moseley writes in the paper.
The paper has been months in the works and is the synthesis of Moseley’s thinking on the issues facing the Air Force during the next two decades. Along with examining threats such as terrorism and other militaries, the paper takes a broader look at how issues such as technological change, weapons proliferation, globalization and climate change can challenge America’s strategic footing.
The Air Force must adapt to counter such challenges, Moseley told Air University students.
“We are committed to redefining American airpower,” he said, according to an Air Force press release. “And we are going to use the white paper and our initiatives to guide our way.”
Much of the paper focuses on how the Air Force’s three fighting domains — air, space and cyberspace — can be better integrated and placed on equal footing.
“We are transforming our thinking from considering the space and cyber domains as mere enablers of air operations to a holistic approach that factors in their interdependence and leverages their unique characteristics,” the paper says.
Moseley describes the relationship of the three domains as a product that uses each to enhance the other two rather than a sum that considers each independently.
He also warns that the 21st century is a time in which America can no longer assume its military dominance.
“Perhaps for the first time in the history of warfare, the ability to inflict damage and cause strategic dislocation is no longer directly proportional to capital investment, superior motivation and training, or technological prowess,” Moseley writes.