Vigilance, Reach, Power
By My latest at the Diplomat thinks through some of the implications of the Air Force’s Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power document for the Asia-Pacific:
Decorated with quotes by Hap Arnold, Giulio Douhet, Winston Churchill and Bernard Montgomery, GVGRGP reaffirms several themes that have been consistent in airpower theory since the end of the Cold War, including emphases on the five core USAF missions (air and space superiority, ISR, Global Mobility, Global Strike and Command and Control) in service of the aforementioned vigilance, reach, and power.
The document is hardly revolutionary, and to some extent serves as an example of how deep concerns about autonomy and independence continue to animate the Air Force. Nevertheless, it’s useful as a window into Air Force culture, and into how the USAF conceives of itself as a warfighting organization.