The Air Force in the Long War

<p>Since 2001 the US has been engaged in the ‘long war' - the Global War on Terror. The threat posed by individuals and groups acting in the name of radical Islamic philosophies emerged from the wreckage of 9/11 as the next great challenge to US national interests and security. The US military has devoted much serious thought to discerning the nature of the ‘long war' and the emerging consensus is that Irregular Warfare will be predominant. While Air Force doctrine has changed and dialogue about Irregular Warfare has blossomed the USAF has yet to redirect significant resources towards this area. The time is right for the USAF to assess the orientation of its force - still largely a Cold War legacy - and adapt its culture and capabilities to maximize its effectiveness and even its relevancy to the long war. This paper asserts that it is imperative the USAF balance its focus and force structure the ‘Kick Down The Door Air Force' - optimized for high-tempo combat against a symmetric force and the ‘Irregular Warfare Air Force' - optimized for extended conflict fought ‘by with and through' partner nations. Equally as important as having the right hardware for Irregular Warfare is having the right mindset and this will require a change in Air Force culture.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>