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China’s military
ChinaMilitary

US overhauls air force to meet China challenge. Will it work?

  • US Air Force secretary Frank Kendall says the move is designed to ‘meet strategic challenges in a time of great power competition’
  • However, Chinese military analysts say it will cost money – and it remains to be seen if the moves will work

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The US is looking to modernise its air force. Photo: US Air Force
Liu Zhen
The United States has unveiled a “sweeping” reform of its air force to ensure its “continued supremacy” in the face of increasing strategic competition, but Chinese observers said it was worth adopting a wait-and-see approach to the overhaul.
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The two dozen measures are “one of the most extensive recalibrations in recent history”, according to the US Air Force

“We need these changes now; we are out of time to re-optimise our forces to meet the strategic challenges in a time of great power competition,” air force secretary Frank Kendall said, announcing the overhaul last week. “We are out of time.”

In September last year, Kendall said the US Air Force must reorganise itself to prepare for a war with China, which has been “re-optimising its forces for great power competition and to prevail against the US in the western Pacific for over 20 years”.

He added: “Our job is to deter that war and to be ready to win if it occurs.”

The measures will see new offices and commands created to allow the major commands to focus on combat readiness and the creation of a “space futures command” to look at future threats.

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