U.S. Air Force Lacks Preparedness for Syria Strike

If these cuts have affected the US Military’s ability to strike (or even defend), imagine the impact of the USA suicidally reducing its nuclear arsenal, which is already underway — while Russia and China both build theirs up and modernize. The fact that both Russia and China are also building their “Star Wars” programs to weaponize space (while the USA is not, again) shows in itself they have no intention of playing by the same rules they agreed to, nor do they plan on staying on the same military capability level as America. The last modern American nuclear ICBM was built in the late 1990’s. If one has been paying attention to the news the last five years, they would realize that China and Russia are close to, or on par, with US Military capabilities. They just don’t advertise as much. One could also expect them to surpass US capabilities before 2020, if not earlier.

General Mark Welsh has said recent cutbacks to the U.S. Air Force have limited it’s readiness to carry out a major offensive.

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Emphasizing cuts including the grounding of tactical combat squadrons earlier this year, Welsh said the Air Force would carry out any mission assigned to it but added,  “We are not going to be as ready as we would like.”

In any air-campaign scenario involving Syria, Welsh said, two capabilities likely needed would be F-16CJ Wild Weasels, which are specially configured for suppression of enemy air defenses, and F-22s. Squadronsof both those capabilities were also grounded earlier this year, “That’s not a good place to be for us,” he said.

President Barack Obama’s indication to Congress that any action against Syria would not involve ground troops would clearly place the mission largely at the door of the Air Force.

Last month, Air Combat Command chief General G. Michael Hostage III was also quoted by the same journal questioning the ability of the  U.S. Air Force to carry out large scale missions throughout the world.

“If Syria blows up or Iran blows up or North Korea blows up, I don’t have a bunch of excess forces I can immediately shift to that conflict. I’m going to have to pull them from other places,” he said.

Full article: U.S. Air Force Lacks Preparedness for Syria Strike (Arutz Sheva 7)