Air Base Defense in the Twenty-First Century

Throughout its history, the United States Air Force has struggled with the most efficient and effective way to provide for its own air base ground defense. This monograph submits a solution intended to end the debate. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive answer possible, the monograph contains two key parts. The first part is a historical study of the Air Force's air base ground defense dilemma, including the U.S. Army Air Forces' attempts to solve the problem in World War II. This history is followed by a discussion of the U.S. Air Force's continuing efforts to solve the dilemma, starting with air base defense issues in Korea and continuing through the current Global War on Terrorism. The second part of the monograph is a historical case study of two Air Forces that faced similar issues: the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe of World War II. Each employed different methodologies and subsequently achieved different results. The results of the analysis contained in this monograph provide a clear answer. To solve the air base ground defense problem, the U.S. Air Force will have to accept risk with regard to resource constraints to mitigate risk to expeditionary operations. Failure to embrace the capability necessary to engage and defeat threats to deployed airmen and resources in the future will have a direct impact on the U.S. Air Force's ability to sustain global reach and global power in the Twenty-First Century.