Center for a New American Security

The Air Force's top officials in charge of irregular warfare were briefed yesterday on new details of the service's sweeping plan to assert its role in such operations by bolstering ties with foreign militaries and buying new light attack aircraft, according to internal documents reviewed by Inside the Pentagon.

The previously undisclosed details concerning the proposed organization, force mix and personnel requirements to support the service's overarching IW effort were unveiled during a senior-level service powwow held at Air Combat Command headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, VA.

The specific requirements rolled out at yesterday's meeting were the result of analysis work conducted by "tiger team" officials led by the Air Staff's plans and programs directorate (A5), according the documents. ITP first reported Air Force efforts to bolster its IW capabilities in February.

At the moment, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps are at war, but the Air Force is not. This is not the fault of the Air Force: it is simply not structured to be in the fights in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Army, Marine and Navy personnel have borne the brunt of deployments, commonly serving multiple tours, the Air Force’s operational tempo remains comparatively comfortable. In 2007, only about 5 percent of the troops in Iraq were airmen.

Yes, air power is a critical component of America’s arsenal. But the Army, Navy and Marines already maintain air wings within their expeditionary units. The Air Force is increasingly a redundancy in structure and spending.

There are certain professions in which the collective genius of the American people dominates the field: semiconductor design, fast food product differentiation, fire-control systems for air-to-air combat, and con artistry.