Why Are We Still Here? An Analysis of USAF Forward Presence in Southwest Asia

Abstract

This paper analyzes the US policy of forward presence as conducted by the US Air Force (USAF) in Southwest Asia. The thesis is that the way the USAF is being used to support forward presence is flawed and fails to support US policy goals. The opening discussion reviews the purposes of the strategy and how the Air Force has been used. Following that is an examination of sanctions enforcement, exclusion zones and the status of the desired goals. This highlights the failure of the USAF portion of forward presence to achieve any of the major goals of US policy against Iraq. The study then analyzes some of the costs incurred by the USAF and allies in executing this strategy. Examples of these costs include but the conduct of operations, the faster aging of equipment, and the loss of training. The paper concludes by explaining that the failure of the USAF in forward presence is in the application, not the concept. The USAF could and should be a key part of US forward presence. The key is to find a method that reduces the impact to the USAF while providing a clearer link to the national objectives.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 2001
Accession Number
ADA389775

Entities

People

  • Scott L. Wheeler

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Indirect Costs
  • Middle East
  • Military Operations
  • National Security
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Southwest Asia
  • Training
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies