Military Power

Military Power

Introduction

Since the first plane went airborne for the first time, airpower has developed into an essential element for military power. It is evident and proved during wars that took place, for instance, the Gulf and Iraq war.  The air force has developed from an experimental force to be a vital force in the world war. Airpower has considered having various advantages, and there are specific capabilities that the military has. In the military context, capability is regarded as the power in achieving the laid down operations. It goes beyond the training and the aircraft, and it incorporates a holistic approach to the activities undertaken in the air force.  However, there some limitations are present to the air force, which limits their power.  The essay shall check on the military capabilities and as well as address barriers that bind them.

Capabilities

The air force in their mandate protects the airspace of American soil from threats of terrorism from extremist groups. When there are distress calls on passenger planes, the air force reacts promptly to disable such groups and see that the Americans’ life are safe. The air force represented the youngest military branch and tasked with the role of protecting the countries skies. The air force undertook intensive training and preparation for emergency aspects in fighting conflict. The vision statement incorporates “Global Vigilance, Reach and Power,” which later was changed to “deliver sovereign options for the defense of the US and its global interests…” (Force, 2014). The air force works closely to providing tactical support to troops on the ground by helping to eliminate enemy units.

They also secure the geographical area where the battle is taking place by eliminating aerial threats of the enemy. The role of the air force is termed to be strategic, and their daily efforts are considered important in the long-term success of the military. The airplanes of the military conduct missions, transport soldiers and supplies to the battlefields. They engage in strategic bombing, which involves terminating the enemy’s ability to wage war by cutting off infrastructure, supplies of their enemies. The air force operates in a complex and unpredictable environment, and for effective operations, it adopts a shared vision that gives purpose and maximizes its effectiveness. Their power lies in deterring threats of organized violence in nature against the country and where it has vested interests.

The air force takes the lead along with the Federal Aviation Administration when dealing with issues about small drones in the country’s airspace. The air force has had to deal with drones that fly in the airspace and been obligated to divert them. Some airspaces in the country are restricted, and some airports in the country have strict rules on their airspace. New York and Washington D.C. are some of the cities that have restricted airspace rules. The air force exercises its power by intercepting foreign planes that stray close to the country’s air space. One instance was when the Russian Air Force was aggressive due to the Crimea invasion. The nation’s air force maintained close monitoring and tracking Russian planes. It has to maintain sovereignty in its airspace and intercept in case of such straying is noticed.

The air force has spearheaded in their drone research that can be implemented for commercial purposes and ease the daily life of American citizens. The air force has, in the past, lead in coming up with revolutionary innovations such as lasers. It has been the number one leader in driving innovation in aerial technology. Drones are now not limited to military purposes in today’s age. Some remote-controlled aircraft are now being used with manning the country’s border. The advances in unmanned flights by the air force are expected to be rapidly adopted for civilian use, and the expected sales are expected to be in billions. Some years back, civilian drones were not the norm, and they did not exist. Today hurricane-hunting drones are in place and are expected to improve the lives of citizens that occupy areas that are prone to storms.

The air force extends its mandate by being a fast responder to incidences of disaster and offering relief. They are active in providing victims of a natural disaster like hurricanes, floods, and wildfire by providing humanitarian services (Apte & Yoho, 2012). The Air force Reserve, with the conjunction of National Guard, engage in missions and take up challenges like wildfires. A single fire costs millions and leaves a considerable number of families with no homes. It acts as one of the first institutions to help to deal with emergency aid and being involved in setting up air traffic control. In such efforts, it makes it easier for the international community to extend their services and having more open access to regions that have been affected by disasters.

Limitations

The air force faces some barriers as they handle their operations in the air space (Challenges and Capabilities of the U.S. Air Force. (n.d.). The fleet is old, with some models having been developed in the 70s, which needs to be changed to modern war machines. The B-52 was designed in the 50s, and some left the assembly line in the 60s, and they are aging. There is the pressure to modernize the fleet under a short time to achieve the air force capabilities. There are more hard decisions to be made in the future for the service due to the dynamic nature of the air force. There are more warfighters such as F-35s and new tanker aircraft that are needed to be added to the fleets. There are even more programs and more additional investments to be made in the air force. The budget is tight as each year; there are unique needs and annual changes that make it hard for building long term investments in the air force.

The budgets are insufficient, and it is hard to make long term plans due to the aspect of unpredictable metrics and elements of the budget plans. The nation is challenged by a more competitive environment than it anticipated. High power has emerged from China and Russia, which have destabilized the country’s economic security at peril. Russia has made significant strides in modernizing its nuclear resources, and China is heavily investing in overtaking the military and economic advantages of the US. Over the times, the nation has witnessed an upsurge in threats from rogue regimes like North Korea and other extremist groups.

The number of missions undertaken by the air force has increased in number, however, the number of staff and aircraft has decreased since the Gulf War (Losey, 2019). The unpredictable budgets that have been experienced by the Air force have reduced their readiness and the challenge of aging weapons and equipment. Congress needs to further invest in air force where a substantial amount in R& D to promote innovation to achieve and maintain their cyber superiority. The families of those in the forces are affected by not having to see them often. The relationships are long-distance since the men and women in service are deployed in remote areas when deployed to remote areas the family has to bear and wait for over a year before they can see their family.

Conclusion

The air force exercises its power by safeguarding the nation’s airspace from external threats. It invests heavily in undertaking operations by focusing on improving research and development to enhance innovations to strengthen the capabilities of the force. The military has, over the years, spearheaded in humanitarian efforts and rescue of victims from floods and hurricanes. They have addressed the issues by first being one of the groups that focus on offering support to such victims. The air force undertakes various measures to thwart the operations of the enemy when they engage in battle. These include activities of destroying supplies and infrastructure that the enemy utilize to wage war against US soil and its citizen.

The air force is keen at checking on various rules that pertain to the use of airspace in the country. Some air spaces are out of bounds, and drones are prohibited from using such airspaces, for instance, New York and Washington D.C. Despite the air force engaging in various activities, it has experienced many limitations. The force is facing a growing need to expand their fleets and change to new weapons and equipment. The troops had to deal with issues of coping with increasing their workforce, which has decreased. The air force has to deal with unpredictable budget plans that make it hard to build long term plans. The American nation has over the year witnessed an increased number of threats from extremist groups and regimes such as North Korea that have been adamant on nuclear weapons.

References

Apte, A., & Yoho, K. (2012). Capabilities and competencies in humanitarian operations (No. NPS-AM-12-C9P24R02-092). NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC POLICY.

Challenges and Capabilities of the U.S. Air Force. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Speeches-Archive/Display/Article/143991/challenges-and-capabilities-of-the-us-air-force/.

Force, U. A. (2014). Our mission. US Air Force. http://www. airforce. com/learn-about/our-mission/(accessed January 14, 2012).

Losey, S. (2019, February 8). The Air Force still has a serious maintainer staffing problem, GAO says – but no strategy to fix it. Retrieved from https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/02/08/the-air-force-still-has-a-serious-maintainer-staffing-problem-gao-says-but-no-strategy-to-fix-it/.