However, it won’t happen with the current Congressional leadership and at least 1 prospective Presidential candidate. They want to increase social spending to increase social dependency while our enemies are gathering at the gates.

History tells us that great powers die when they no longer function as great powers and try to accomodate their enemies instead of defeating them militarily, econcomically, and philosopically.

Figures like those caused by rising oil costs will be THE major factor in deterring future adversary air forces. No other nation will be capable of spending anywhere near the amount we, and our allies spend in fuel, maintenance, and acquisition on air operations and training. Add to that the escalating cost of stealth, and air defenses against stealth, and it becomes clear that no nation will ever be able to afford to be a near-peer with our Joint airpower.

That said, plenty of nations can cause problems with rockets and missiles..the poor nation’s airpower alternative. Our airpower also cannot find many hidden targets WITHOUT ground contact and ISR cueing to reveal those targets. Even if found, targets often cannot be engaged by air due to rules of engagement, whereas less powerful ground weapons can engage and discriminate them.

So the Catch 22 of our airpower is that while no other nation can match it head-to-head, they don’t need to with ballistic missiles and rockets, and they can simply hide their troops or blend in with civilians. We have required ground forces in every conflict of the past, and every conflict of the future will continue to require ground forces.

Sec of Defense Gates is correct that smaller conflicts will continue to dominate when our interests are threatened. As for major theater war, can’t ever envision putting groundpower in mainland China or all of Iran, but defending neighbors or oil rights is always a possibility that could require troops on the ground.

If Israel attacks Iran, and Iran follows through on threats to close the Straits of Hormuz, I would hope we would still have troops in Iraq to defend that nation and Kuwait, and to seize that portion of Iran closest to those narrow Straits.…

Like it or not, casualties or not, allies or not…only the U.S. has the budget and political will to support and deploy a large ground force anywhere in the world. But will that political will continue? We may not have a choice if Israel sees no recourse but to attack Iran.

Problem is, if you think the price of gas is high NOW?? Even our nation may not be able to afford a large armed forces, and especially not a large Air Force, if our economy goes way south due to $200–250 a barrel oil caused by war with Iran. Our nation must find alternative sources of energy so that we are not held hostage by places like the Middle East.