U.S. Air Force Will Fall Behind Russia & China Soon… If Major Improvements Aren’t Made

We’ve all heard the speculation. You know… about Russia surpassing the United States in military strength.

Maybe they will and maybe they won’t. But most of the time those predictions come from people who don’t know the inner workings of government.

But when an official from one of our military branches says something like that, I sit up and take notice.

If they don’t know what they’re talking about, who does? And if they are voicing these types of concerns, people should be paying attention.

Senior Leaders of Air Force Confirm: More Operational Squadrons Needed

Senior service leaders of the U.S. Air Force have made some grave predictions. They say their branch of the military will fall behind Russia and China by 2025 if major changes are not made.

They say there is only way to keep this from happening. And that’s by expanding fighting technologies, weapons arsenals and major attack platforms.

Those changes would need to include new bombers, fighters, drones and rescue helicopters. The leaders want to grow the Air Force from 312 operational squadrons to 386.

A close examination of threats, mission requirements and emerging technologies probably led to this conclusion. That’s according to Fox News.

Is Our Air Force ‘Geriatric?’

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson did not mince words while explaining the situation.

“The Air Force is too small for what the nation expects of us,” she said.

“The National Defense strategy tells us we need to be able to defend the homeland, provide nuclear deterrence and win wars against major powers while countering rogue nations. We need to create dilemmas for our adversary.”

Retired Lieutenant General David Deptula added this. “The USAF is a geriatric force. It has bombers, tankers and trainer aircraft over 50 years old, helicopters over 40 and fighters over 30. It has a 2,000-plus pilot shortage.”

‘Eroded to a Dangerous Degree’

Here’s what the U.S. Air Force is looking for:

• 5 additional bomber squadrons
• 9 more combat search and rescue squadrons
• 22 more command and control ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) squadrons
• 14 more tanker squadrons
• 7 more fighter squadrons
• 7 more space squadrons

Without these additions, the U.S. Air Force could fall behind Russia and possibly China in the near future.

“America’s military superiority – the hard-power backbone of its global influence and national security – has eroded to a dangerous degree,” Deptula said.

Hypersonic Weapons Pose Big Threat

The Government Accountability Office has also chimed in on this subject.

Their recent report states that the U.S. lacks the defenses needed to protect us. Especially against a new breed of sophisticated hypersonic weapons from China and Russia.

The hypersonic weapons China and Russia are attempting to develop could defeat most missile defense systems. That’s because of their speed, altitude and maneuverability.

They could be used to improve long-range conventional and nuclear strike capabilities. The report adds: “There are no existing countermeasures.”

Air Force Has Its Work Cut Out

Russia calls its hypersonic weapon a Kinzhal (or Dagger) missile. Its military said it ran a successful test of this nuclear-capable missile. And that it has the ability to sneak through enemy defenses.

Russia President Vladimir Putin said Kinzhal flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound. And has a range of over 1,250 miles.

Putin says that the Kinzhal nuclear missile is already “in service.” U.S. officials say that it is still in the testing phase.

These hypersonic nuclear missiles leave opponents little time to consider options. Not only giving shorter reaction times for civilians to prepare for a nuclear attack, but also provides lack of adequate defenses of our military.

Either way, it sounds like the U.S. has some work to do. We need to improve our Air Force’s offensive and defensive capabilities for if their threats become our reality.