Protecting Interests and Preventing War: An Analysis of PACAF Force Posture Alternatives

This study addresses an important question What is the optimal force posture for the US Air Force in the Asia-Pacific Although current conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine dominate American headlines, the Asia-Pacific deserves greater attention for a number of reasons. The geographic boundaries of US Pacific Command include 52 percent of the earths surface and over half the worlds population. The United States also conducts more international trade with Asia than any other region. Furthermore, the United States has formal security agreements with a number of countries in the area. In recognition of the growing importance of the region, the US Department of Defense has announced an effort to rebalance its forces to the Asia-Pacific. Even though water dominates the region, land-based airpower is an essential part of the US security solution for the Pacific for a number of reasons. First, land-based airpower delivers capabilities that current US carrier-based aviation either cannot provide or cannot provide in sufficient quantity. Second, growing regional missile threats pose great risk for aircraft carriers. Third, in some scenarios, Pacific Command may simply need more airpower than the current US Navy fleet can provide.