SwiftVets.com

[PhantomSgt]

The Commissioners for the Base Realignment and Closure process have been named and the process that has been going on for the past two years in the DoD continues.

There is a draft of the Air Force list floating around (official use only so it won’t be posted here) and the proposed cuts seem to make sense from a strategic standpoint.

Rapid Deployment and Employment are the Pentagon buzzwords for; “If there is a Army or Marine installation in the close proximity of an Air Force Base or other airlift capable field, look for mission increase.” Another statement floating around is; “Consolidation of Logistic Resources for Streamlined Sustainment of Operations.”

Here are my thoughts on the statements above:

The “Cold War” has been over for some time now and the central part of the USA is I would say pretty secure from direct invasion. The “Emerging Threats” today are from off the East and West coasts of the US and this is where we need to project power for Rapid Deployment and Logistics Support.

An extra couple of flight hours from the central US may not seem like much until you multiply that by the tens of thousands mission sorties flown in support of the Middle East Campaign. The savings gained by moving these missions to the coasts is enormous.

Take for example a B-2 has just departed Whiteman AFB, MO for a mission to North Korea. The B-2 will deliver the payload and return to Whiteman non-stop with in-flight refueling. This equates to one sortie in a 24-hour period with the sub-sonic B-2.

Now take this same B-2 and place it on a “Rumsfeld Lily Pad” in the Western Pacific, three sorties are generated against the threat in the same 24-hour period.

Another example is a Carrier Battle Group from San Diego is tasked to support operations in the East China Sea. Although they are needed on station immediately to support another Group under threat, they are several sailing days away.

Now take this same Carrier Group and assign it to a “Rumsfeld Lily Pad” in the Western Pacific, you have cut the transit time dramatically and projected power deep into the area of concern.

The DoD is looking for US owned and controlled “Lily Pads” overseas to project power without being hampered by foreign governments.

Japanese citizens protest each time a jet is too loud or violates quiet hours (yes they have quiet hours for US military bases on their soil) and the anti-nuclear protestors are out in force each time the Group returns to homeport in Yokohama.

A US owned and controlled “Lily Pad” takes these issues out of the mix.



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Retired AF E-8

Independent that leans right of center.