Airlift 2025: The First with the Most

摘要

Power projection is critically dependent on mobility forces. The air mobility system should be capable of supporting national objectives from humanitarian, nonhostile operations through armed conflict. Because of operational constraints that include evolving threats and reduced external infrastructure, the airlift system in the year 2025 should be independent of theater-basing structure. International political changes will likely necessitate the basing of most, if not all, US military forces in the continental United States (CONUS). However, this will not end the requirement for a global US presence. Although the probability of direct foreign military threats to our interests may be alright, Air Mobility Command (AMC), the air transportation arm of US Transportation Command, must be prepared to conduct global air mobility on a daily basis. In addition, AMC must continue to support humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in both benign and hostile environments. These expanding requirements demand attention. This paper proposes technologically feasible concepts to meet the air mobility requirements posed by probable US national objectives in the year 2025. The employment and integration of technologies that exist today, along with those that will develop by the year 2025, will allow the concepts proposed in this paper to meet future needs. A number of assumptions were made to narrow the focus of this paper. First, the recommendations herein assume no traditional intratheater airlift capability. This assumption addresses a worst case scenario and drives our requirement of direct delivery.