As Brown sees things, airpower will be a critical factor in combat on the “non-linear” battlefield, a fluid, constantly shifting space devoid of lines and tidy “front” and “rear” areas. Airpower, in his view, delivers three essential elements—mobility, flexibility, and rapid response. All will be needed if small, highly specialized groups of ground troops are going to prevail in combat. He thinks the new V-22 Osprey (recently approved for production) will greatly improve SOF flexibility. The Air Force is supposed to buy about 50 of them over the next several years.
The Pentagon’s top research lab is interested in developing a hypersonic cruise missile prototype that provides “a revolutionary leap in operational performance,” as the first wave of U.S. hypersonic weapons enters production and service.