The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments today released its latest report: AirSea Battle: A Point-of-Departure Operational Concept, by Jan van Tol with Mark Gunzinger, Andrew Krepinevich and Jim Thomas.
The report provides a detailed assessment of how potent anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities will likely make traditional US power projection operations increasingly risky and costly in the future. Using the Western Pacific Theater of Operations (WPTO) as the
most stressing potential case, it explores how the United States and its allies could employ a candidate AirSea Battle operational concept to maintain a stable military balance in the Western Pacific. “An AirSea Battle concept must address high-end military operations in the WPTO,” according to Jan van Tol, “though widespread proliferation of A2/AD capabilities would make the concept highly applicable across a range of other scenarios.”
“CSBA’s research and analysis over the last fifteen years point to a growing need for an integrated effort between the Air Force and Navy to address the growing challenges posed by formidable A2/AD capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere,” stresses Andrew Krepinevich.
CSBA’s analysis finds that the Air Force and Navy’s ability to execute highly integrated operations along the lines set forth in AirSea Battle could greatly enhance their effectiveness across a range of A2/AD contingencies, while the long-term cost efficiencies to be realized are highly desirable from a budgetary perspective.
“We need to strengthen the connective tissue between our strategy and the resources devoted to supporting it,” stresses Jim Thomas. “The operational concept provided in AirSea Battle accomplishes this at a level of detail not seen since the 1980s, when an Army-Air Force concept known as AirLand Battle enabled the Services to establish clear priorities regarding programs and force structure.”
AirSea Battle provides intellectual grist for Air Force-Navy efforts to develop their AirSea Battle concept as directed by the 2010 QDR. “CSBA’s independent approach provides a useful counterpoint to what is likely to be a more nuanced effort by the Services,” offers Mark Gunzinger. “Our goal is to raise awareness of this important issue and enhance the debate over how best to proceed.