Summary Overseas air bases are no longer safe harbors for American aircraft due to new weapons and geopolitical instability. US Air Force needs to rely less on fixed infrastructure, be more adaptable, agile, and maintain lethality. Recent exercises like Bamboo Eagle help the US Air Force prepare for future conflicts with distributed operations.
The United States Air Force has found itself in the middle of a new age of Great Power Competition. Now FlightGlobal has claimed: " Overseas air bases can no longer be counted on as safe harbors for American aircraft forward deployed to conflict zones ." This comes as the United States Air Force is building up its F-35As stationed in Japan while the Navy is replacing Super Hornets with F-35Cs on the USS George Washington (CVN-73) as it returns to Japan .
Forward air bases are becoming more vulnerable FlightGlobal's claim that the US and its Air Force can't count on overseas air bases is not because the US doesn't have allies (it has many), but because of the development of new and improved weapons. According to FlightGlobal, this is the conclusion of top service leaders within the US Air Force and will likely affect US Air Bases in Japan, the Philippines, and possibly Guam. ".
..modern weapons and geopolitical instability have upended Washington’s 20th Century model of force projection – based heavily on large, well-established air bases located in friendly countries near potential hot spots.
" - FlightGlobal The US Air Force will ne.