The Air Force needs 386 operational squadrons by 2030 before the United States could implement its National Defense Strategy that will position the country at a strategic advantage over the militaries of China and Russia.
This is the immediate requirement that needs to be prioritized according to an assessment conducted by U.S. Air Force officials. Meeting this need is imperative for the U.S. Air Force to defend itself and its allies and partners against the expected military threat that may arise from 2025 to 2030.
Specifically, the squadrons shall be comprised of bombers, attack and special operations, space, cyber, tanker, airlift, and other frontline combat troops. Air Force senior leaders think that all these shall be met for the United States to win in future conflicts.
In contrast, the Air Force has 312 squadrons at present compared to the 401 operational squadrons the country had at the end of the Cold War.
The assessment was discussed during the Air Force Association's annual Air, Space and Cyber conference held on Sept. 17. In their respective speeches, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein highlighted that the assessment is based on strategic needs and not by budgetary requirements.
Wilson said U.S. enemies have been studying Washington's way of war for the past years and for their parts have invested heavily to surpass the nation's military might. All the objective and goals presented in the analysis is about how the United States could stay ahead of this competition, Wilson said.
Goldfein added that the presented analysis is different from other assessments conducted on the U.S. Air Force capabilities. He said previous discussions have always been about an Air Force that the country can afford but never about an Air Force that the United States needs.
CNN, additionally, has obtained an Air Force document saying that for the United States to establish the separate Space Force required by President Donald Trump, the country should have $12.9 billion allotments to sustain the unit in its first five years alone.
Based on estimates made by the Air Force, the government needs $3.32 billion for its 2020 fiscal year to be able to start the Space Force and its designated headquarters. The Space Force will also need a total of 13,000 operational personnel during its official launch.
Wilson has separately called on Congress to approve allocations for the Space Force headquarters in the 2020 fiscal year.
