n coping with recent defense budget cuts by Congress-and the potential for billions more in automatic cuts beginning 2013-the U.S. military may find itself in a tight spot dealing with reduced funding while readying for a larger strategy. Amid this, military leaders are currently weighing in on how to adapt to the shift of focus to potential adversaries in the Asia-Pacific, outlined by President Barack Obama on Jan. 5.
At the heart of the military shift is the Air-Sea Battle concept, developed by the military to break the Chinese regime’s anti-access strategy, which it designed to keep the United States out of the western Pacific and to fight a war from a safe distance.
The U.S. military’s Air-Sea Battle concept was laid out in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which noted the Chinese regime is “fielding large numbers of advanced medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles,” while developing advanced attack submarines, electronic warfare capabilities, and counter-space systems. The Air-Sea Battle concept is meant to counter these capabilities while reducing ground conflict.
There are mixed tones among military leaders, however, as to whether they have the assets to carry out this strategy/.../
The Navy changed its plan to build 57 ships to 41 ships—a 28 percent decrease. “I am puzzled at the contradiction of planning to use a smaller fleet to cover a larger portion of the globe. Granted, our new ships will be more capable but they can still only be in one place at a time. I would think that in many respects, quantity itself is a capability,” Young said.
Beyond all of this, however, is that the Asia-Pacific strategy could be dead in the water if things continue as is, due to the 2011 Budget Control Act, which will cut another $50 billion in defense each year.
If this continues into 2013, the new strategy could be obsolete, according to Todd Harrison, a senior fellow of defense budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, National Defense reported Feb. 17, a magazine of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).
Harrison believes there is only a 50 percent chance this could happen—but for Congress, “All that is required for that to happen is inaction.”