A relative lack of airbase fortifications by the US in the Indo-Pacific region has created an imbalance that favors China, according to a report published on Tuesday last week by Washington-based think tank the Hudson Institute.
If the US does not invest resources in hardening its airfields, it would struggle to respond to a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, according to the report “Concrete Sky: Air Base Hardening in the Western Pacific,” written by Thomas Shugart and Timothy Walton.
Since the early 2010s, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has more than doubled its aircraft shelters, allowing it to hide the “vast majority” of its combat aircraft, the report said.
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Not only does the PLA have more than 3,000 aircraft shelters, but it has increased its nationwide ramp area by almost 75 percent, it said.
US efforts to expand aircraft shelters and ramp areas have been comparatively modest, the report said.
“Combined US, allied and partner military airfield capacity within 1,000 nautical miles [1,852km] of the Taiwan Strait is roughly one-third of PRC’s [People’s Republic of China],” it said.
This imbalance in airbase infrastructure means China would require much fewer munitions to neutralize US, allied and partner airfields than the converse, the report said.
The imbalance is approximately 25 percent if the US utilizes airfields in Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan, and as high as 88 percent if only airfields in Japan are used, it said.
Although the US has adopted the “Agile Combat Employment” strategy to disperse air force operations, much more is needed to ensure the safety of its aircraft in the face of modern precision missile threats, the report said.
The report outlines three specific initiatives the US should pursue to regain its advantage.
First, the US should continue to improve its offensive ability to encourage China to continue allocating funds to defensive measures, the report said.
Second, the US should comprehensively harden airfield infrastructure through a multi-year campaign, building more aircraft shelters and expanding airfields, it said.
Third, the US should evolve its air force to include more long-range and endurance aircraft that can “spend more time in the air rather than on the ramp — where they are easier targets,” it said.
However, improving airfield resilience is still essential, as the US “cannot hope future military forces will address its current airfield weaknesses,” it added.
The report also recommends shifting resources from ground forces to air defense artillery, with the army potentially providing air defenses to the air force and navy.
The US should act immediately to allocate the appropriate military forces and harden its infrastructure, otherwise it would be at a disadvantage in future conflicts, the report said.
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