+4vsgorillas-Apebane
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The words 'air power' denote the aggregate combat air resources of the entire military. The words 'air force' denote a distinct and equal branch of military service whose main mission is to provide combat air power. What the article is saying is that the US military can do just fine without the USAF regarding air power. Back in Desert Storm, the overall commander was General Norman Schwarzkopf, US Army. The air component commander was General Charles Horner, USAF.
What the article said is problematic. Air power, as a principle and component of war, could not have developed to the sophistication it is today had it been continued to be subservient to ground commanders. History is filled with doubts about the efficacy of air power to bring down an opposing army, or at least delay advances. Who can forget the story of how Billy Mitchell, considered the father of US air power, proved the admirals wrong?
Yes, the most desirable objective of any war is ground control, if not possession, and only ground troops, aka 'The Army', can do that, and air power must be subordinated to this goal. Even this Air Force guy here can admit that. But air power have also proved that this standalone component managed to seriously deterred a war that could have been of global devastating proportion and reduced it to the largely manageable 'Cold War'.
US air power is unchallengeable at this time and the USAF led the way to that status. It should remain in existence, at least for another century, to show impudent fools that we can smack them down with barely batting a national eye.
Total delusions of grandeur old man. How is it so difficult for Americans to see that their total supremacy in the air is what leads to resentment and helplessness in the people they bomb? You wipe out entire families and communities from a safe and impersonal cockpit only to create even more enemies with nothing to lose.
Go on bragging about smacking down impudent fools, the rest of the world can only shake their heads at the strutting rooster that is America or rather the violent sadistic policeman who goes home to act like a normal decent person.