This flexibility was vividly demonstrated in the first three months of Operation Enduring Freedom after 9/11.
Whether facing nonstate actors like ISIS, mid-tier threats like North Korea and Iran, or peer threats such as China and Russia, the ability to strike targets quickly and in large numbers is crucial. No other weapon system, in the air or on the sea, can come close to this massive firepower.
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The B-1s and the B-52s have similar direct-attack capabilities plus the ability to carry and launch cruise missiles from standoff ranges. Their long range and on-station times, combined with huge weapons loads, make them the weapon of choice for combatant commanders in both the Middle East and Pacific regions.Ī single B-2 can carry and launch 80 precision-guided weapons, each assigned a different target, and can penetrate contested airspace. In our wars in the Middle East, the B-1s, B-2s and B-52s have all played central roles attacking fixed targets and in close-air support of ground troops. Bombers also carry the brunt of conventional operations. They provide flexible deterrence with their nuclear capability, forcing adversaries to think twice before starting an attack. In today’s global threat picture, bombers become the coin of the realm. Just last month, the Air Force chief of staff testified that the need is for “200 bombers, of which 145 would be B-21s.” These numbers have been validated by think tanks such as MITRE Corp., the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Rand, and the Mitchell Institute. In the document “The Air Force We Need,” Air Force leaders insisted last fall they need five more bomber squadrons - about 65 more bombers. This decline is curious in light of recent Air Force declarations and testimony before Congress.
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