AirSea Battle

Andrew Krepinevich has a new report out this week for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments titled Why AirSea Battle?

The report discusses the critical role that the US military’s power-projection operations have played in providing for the security of the United States and its allies since World War II. The report then goes on to describe military modernization efforts by China and Iran designed to deny the United States the ability to sustain military forces in the Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf. It concludes by arguing that a new Air Force-Navy AirSea Battle concept is needed to preserve a stable military balance in these two primarily aerospace and maritime domains.

"The US must adapt its power projection forces—along with corresponding changes in its military capabilities and force structure—or face the prospect of losing military access in these two key regions," concludes Krepinevich. "The importance and urgency of finding a new approach is reinforced by the priority afforded to AirSea battle in the Quadrennial Defense Review released on February 1st."

Direct link to the report (PDF). I am going to read it a few times before commenting. AirSea Battle is a popular current "inside baseball" subject - popular enough to be specifically cited in the QDR, but it is still very much unclear if the final product becomes anything more a new wine in old barrels.

I will continue to be out much of this week, but this week as I am unavailable LtCol Roger Galbraith, Director of Public Affairs at Marine Corps Combat Development Command and Marine Corps Base Quantico will be blog posting from Expeditionary Warrior 2010.