Air Force Transformation -- Will It Produce a Revolution in Military Affairs?

Abstract

The Air Force's new Global Strike Task Force concept is anchored by three procurement priorities: the F/A-22 fighter, space-based radar, and small-diameter bombs. This study will first determine whether these technologies are transformational and then go one step further and analyze whether they will lead to a revolution in military affairs (RMA), as some in the Air Force have suggested. Transformation is a process that bridges today's force structure and the force structure that will be needed in the future. The Air Force defines transformation as a process by which the military achieves and maintains asymmetric advantage through changes in operational concepts, organizational structure, and/or technologies that significantly improve warfighting capabilities or the ability to meet the demands of a changing security environment. This definition is in line with the thinking of the Secretary of Defense. To bring the Air Force in compliance with the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), its acquisition priorities and transformational goals have been focused on acquiring weapon systems that fulfill the QDR's requirement to procure systems capable of meeting the following capabilities: persistent surveillance, precision strike, and power projection. The author concludes that the F/A-22 fighter and the small-diameter bomb are transformational technologies, but because the final architecture for the spaced-based radar has not yet been determined, its disposition cannot be determined either. Based upon the history of past RMAs, there appear to be missing elements in the Air Force's current goal to create an RMA. There are three barriers that the Air Force must clear to produce an RMA: joint doctrine, simulation and experimentation shortfalls, and service culture.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA520274

Entities

People

  • Ricky R. Murphy

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Information Systems
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Navy
  • Space Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.

Technology Areas

  • Space