U.S. Combat Air Power: Reassessing Plans to Modernize Interdiction Capabilities Could Save Billions.
Abstract
In recent years, the U.S. military's interdiction and other combat mission priorities have changed. During the Cold War, the enemy was more clearly identified and defense forces were geared to fight that enemy. The threat has changed dramatically, from a single global threat to smaller, less easily defined regional threats, and the size and structure of defense forces are changing as well. The military is challenged to ensure that its funding is directed to the most critical priorities as the forces are reduced and reshaped to meet future national security needs. Yet the services plan to spend more than $200 billion on aircraft and other weapons over the next 15 to 20 years, adding to their already extensive capabilities to interdict an enemy. To determine the reasonableness of these planned enhancements, GAO evaluated (1) the military's current and future aggregate interdiction assets for striking enemy targets and (2) the effect of the services planned modernization programs on total interdiction capabilities and alternatives to those programs. This review was part of GAO'S broader effort to assess how the Department of Defense (DOD) can better adapt its combat air power to meet future needs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA314126
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office