Abolish the Air Force

[Ender]

While our ground forces have retooled themselves for the COIN fight (and have done an admirable job doing so), we cannot forget that the possibility exists that a peer competitor could rise... Can we really afford to ignore even the possibility of a future conventional-style war?

Peer competitor? This sounds like well the enemy has an air force so we need one too, just in case. I have no question in my mind whether we need bombers and fighters, missiles and rockets just like the enemy, I am just not so sure they need to be organized in the autocratic, me first mentality they are now that is all.

Correct me if I am wrong but it is not our job to mirror the enemy but to preempt them. With China, the Indian sub-continent, Russia and so many others in the picture it is apparent that the globe is shrinking fast... that is to say the pie stays the same size but our pieces may be shrinking. How can we (as a DoD) do the most with the least when it appears that most of the time the United States Air Force (as a whole) does the least with the most and only some of the time does the most with the most, or dominates its "sphere" as you put it. I think the very distinct possibility of a future conventional war is exactly why we should strive to become dollar for dollar and pound for pound the most efficient fighting force on the planet. Say what you will about the Corps apparent relevancy with Congress (TT I am coming brother) but we have, in terms of fiscal efficiency (responsibility?) consistently come in "under budget" compared to the USAF. I am no economist but who's gonna axe good cheap labor?

Looking to the conventional fight, no military organization on the face of the earth (present or past) has dominated its sphere of operations better than the USAF... Our land forces have not yet acheived that feat (not an insult just fact; there is obviously more at play in the land domain).

Dominance of the "sphere?" By your own mouth you are confounded... This is exactly what I am talking about and perfectly illustrates a mindset where the battle is an isolated sphere or a separate function and not an all inclusive, simultaneously multi-dimensional maelstrom... a mindset whose logical conclusion sends others to FIGHT (read: push buttons from 5-50 miles out) but does not ACTUALLY do so themselves. Eg: How many airman are taught how to give battle field dressings to their wounded enemies and why does that REALLY matter to a warrior's understanding of the "sphere?" Dominance of the "sphere?" Great man, clear the skies though and no one is up there. You guys can rock the whole freakin sphere and say "we won" but where is your temporal relevance AFTER? The air by itself is just dead space waiting to be passingly and fleetingly influenced , but in battle empty ground is more precious than gold.

As far as the dominance thing, I don't know by what measure you are quantifying "complete" (I hope you meant air to air) dominance... but as long as stealth planes (for example) are being shot down over third world nations and as long as there are still long lists of nations who have anti air capabilities we have not yet tested I would be extremely slow to claim total domination. How many pilots did we lose in Korea? Vietnam?

I am not sure the last 90 years have been entirely "ours" either, and how much of the 90 years that is ours is actually attributed soley to the USAF. I may have as of yet, only been the active participant in one war but that does not mean I have not studied hundreds and just because my posts may sound COIN-centric to you does not in the least mean Iraq encompasses the breadth and depth of where I am coming from with this. My point is that my understanding of the history of air power has as much to do with "one upsmanship" (Germany, Japan, USSR etc..) or today we are dominant, tomorrow they are than it does spherical dominance. I appreciate the bravado and I don't know if this is Air Force macho bs or what but I would personally save it for all those clueless pretty little legal egg-heads.

Could we train the pilots from other services to do this? Probably, but the AF has the capability now.?

Translation as I heard it: Could we train other services to think as one dimensionally and unilaterally as this? Absolutely.

I've reread your two posts several times and am struck by one thing in particular. You referenced a perceived elitist environment within the AF, but have succumbed to this yourself. You obviously think yourself better than Airmen because we "fight in air conditioned rooms" or some other such similar reason.

How many times over did it take to pick up on that? ( and succumb may be the wrong word here...) I do think I am a better warrior than not just all of the air men, but most of the soldiers and sailors too... let's get it right. I think I am a better warfighter not because of where I fight or where you think you "fight." I am a better warrior because I actually FIGHT and most airmen do not. This debate may not be "combative" to you but these ideas represent an impersonal but very real struggle for me. I have been shot at and I take expcetion to not just what the enemy can do to us but also to what we ACTUALLY do to the other side. So for many years now I have consciously trained my mind and body to take the fight to the enemy on as many levels as I possibly can and I (forgive me) would honestly be willing to step in the ring with anyone from any other branch in a Warfighting Pepsi Challenge. I may lose in survival stapling and combat collating but in the end my kind will have victory.

Perhaps if you looked at the situation objectively, you'd realize that there are other aspects to the fight than the grunt with a rifle.

You are right, there are other aspects than the grunt with the rifle (the implication pigeon holes me so neatly!) as well as there are other aspects than the plane in the sky and that is precisely why I would like the Air Force as a whole to get its head out of the clouds and come down to where people actually get hurt. I may very well be "just" a Marine to some but what most people fail to understand is that we have the best of everything. We have the best land warriors, the best Navy and the best pilots (Marine Air Force if you will) on the planet. You want to talk about total domination? I don't know where 232 years of decimating everything in your path, on all spheres fits into your math but it ranks high with mine.

After all, since you indicated that an AF guy saved your life, I would think you'd give some credit.

I did indicate that the Air Force saved my life once and I am SOOO glad you mentioned it. I should have added that the Air Force BARELY saved my life... Two teams from my platoon were on one of the last foot patrols near the city of Fallujah before the battle of Al Fajr kicked off. We were ambushed by a group of insurgents and the fight lasted for at least 20 minutes before air (an AC-130) came on station. We did not have comm with the bird, could not get comm with the bird (the AF had changed freq sets last minute) and pretty much just sat back and watched it clean up what we had started.

After the fact, I talked to our Air officer and asked how the bird knew who to fire at down there considering we were in such close proximity... to which I was told I he did not know. I was later able to determine from the pilots that the only two pieces of data they used to open fire on them as opposed to us were the facts that they knew there were troops in contact (read: priority for the MC and "hair trigger" for the AF) and that they were "closer" to the city than us. If the fight had occured twenty minutes earlier than it had, our position relative to the "enemy" would have been the exact opposite. Now I did not know to be pissed about this until I told our pilots about it and asked WTH mate? They were livid for us and to say well it all worked out in the end for the Dominators would be a dangerous examination of what really happened in that dangerous little "sphere" where circles actually overlap.

I do not know how much an AC-130 costs but I can promise you that there are any number of Marine generals out there who would love to put that money into just one of his (combined arms) regiments and any number of Marine pilots out there who would love to have that platform so they could personally support recon teams on the ground just hours before the big show. I don't think it would have been such a close save that night if it had been Harriers instead... I will take a smart pilot and dumb bombs over "unaware" (see I can be diplomatic) pilots and technology any day of the week.

Now, if you want to know about our pools or chow halls, or any rumors about the AF, just ask. I am not ashamed of how the AF takes care of its people.

If I want to know anything about the greatest peace time force on the planet I will be sure to ask, once I am done fighting. I am not ashamed that the AF takes care of its own, but I do have beef (steak, lobster whatever) with HOW the AF takes care of its own. I have (only) one pretty little co-ed in my life and she would be ashamed to be eating filet at home while I ate MRE's in the field. I just want to know when does it get overboard for you guys?