The military strategy of the United States, at least ideally, is structured so as to simultaneously defeat two distinct enemies in different parts of the world and be able to defend American territory from any attack.
"Unfortunately, because of budget constraints, the US armed forces can not fulfill such a task and meet the Strategic Defense Guidance."
The United States, therefore, will have to rewrite its military strategy or find the necessary funds.
If Washington has decided to change military doctrine - added James - the first to suffer terribly will be US allies.
To date, the US is facing three global challenges: the Ukrainian issue, the Ebola virus and the Islamic State.
"These three enemies demanded an immense effort from our air force, and all our allies demanded our planes more than we could actually do."
The framework traced by the Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James is clear: the US Air Force desperately needs to modernize, a process postponed several times after the military campaign in Afghanistan.
The aging of the military air fleet is now all too evident and new bombers and fighters are needed.
"As well as the number of military personnel is at historic lows from the 1947. We need at least 8800 more units "
To meet the most pressing needs, Secretary James requested Congress an extra 10 billions of dollars to be included in the 2016 financial year.
Despite continued calls from the US military for extra funds, US military spending remains the highest in the world, with a budget of $ 640 billion in 2014. The US spends more than China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France , The UK, Germany, Japan and India combined.
Franco Iacch
(photo: US Air Force)
