The Chief of Staff of the Air Force has approved the service’s new doctrine document for irregular warfare, the one it began working in early spring to establish the Air Force view of counterinsurgency warfare, having been relegated largely to a footnote in the Army-Marine Corp version. In a forward to AFDD 2-3, Gen. Michael Moseley writes: “Employed properly, airpower (to include air, space, and cyberspace capabilities) produces asymmetric advantages that can be effectively leveraged by joint force commanders in virtually every aspect of irregular warfare.” He adds that the document draws “heavily” on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it is “broad, enduring, and forward-looking, rather than focusing on any particular operation, current or past.” The 103-page document has 11 “foundational” statements, one of which notes that the “valuable and unique” capabilities that USAF provides are “in many cases … flexible and persistent options” that offer “a less intrusive force that can respond quickly and improve commanders’ overall situation awareness.”
Air Force Basic Military Training leaders say changes implemented as part of BMT 2.0 are generating positive results so far—especially when it comes to creating “airminded” new Airmen.
