The Department of Defense announced today the creation of a new office to integrate air and naval combat capabilities in support of emerging national security requirements.
In the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates directed the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to develop a comprehensive concept to counter emerging anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) challenges. The services collaborated to develop the Air-Sea Battle (ASB) concept. On Aug. 12, 2011, Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, and Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove established the Air-Sea Battle Office (ASBO), creating a framework to implement the ASB concept.
The ASB concept will guide the services as they work together to maintain a continued U.S. advantage against the global proliferation of advanced military technologies and A2/AD capabilities. Air-Sea Battle will leverage military and technological capabilities that reflect unprecedented Navy, Marine and Air Force collaboration, cooperation, integration, and resource investments.
The ASBO will oversee the concept implementation by facilitating coordination among the services, influencing service wargames, fostering development and integration of air and naval capabilities, and collaborating with the joint forces. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will each dedicate a minimum of two field grade officers or civil service equivalents to the ASBO.
Implementation of the ASB concept by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will foster positive change in the institutional relationships among the services, the integration of acquisition strategies, and the conceptual approach to warfare. The ASB concept is a natural and deliberate evolution of U.S. warfighting to counter emerging A2/AD threats that include conventional ballistic missiles, long-range precision cruise missiles, advanced integrated air and missile defense systems, electronic and cyber warfare capabilities, submarines, surface combatants, and modern combat aircraft. Air-Sea Battle will enable the projection of force in defense of U.S. interests and those of our allies and by sustaining stability and freedom of access throughout the global commons.
So a few random thoughts...
1. Is this an over-reaction by the non-Army services to the Army having the lead over the past two wars? Are the Navy/USAF looking for their moment in the bright light of relevance after being second-banana for a decade?
2. At some point those planes gotta land and the boats gotta dock. Who's going to secure those berths for them?
3. You want to game it?
WPG has Fleets 2025: East China Sea
Also check out Red Dragon Rising from S&T.
By: Brant
Hard to say.. the conventional wisdom seems to be that the Army will be cut back from what it has now, the Navy Air Force and Marines will stay where they are, and no one will get much new stuff in at least the near future.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't think this is a matter so much of available money as it is of available TIME to spend in theatre.... When the Army goes somewhere (regular army, not SOCOM) it is meant to stay there for a while, while the planes and ships can at least theoretically get in and clear out quickly, with Marines hanging off every projection like a Mexican bus.
Short sharp campaigns have fewer casualties, avoid long-term commitments, and tie up neatly in time for the next election. At least, theoretically.