China’s anti-access, area-denial buildup is increasing the vulnerability of US tactical airpower and, at the same time, the importance of US long-range platforms, such as the Air Force’s forthcoming Long-Range Strike Bomber, declared author and analyst Robert Haddick at a talk on Monday that AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies sponsored. Looking ahead, there is great need for long-range stealthy capability to counter Chinese strengths, he said during the Nov. 10 event in Arlington, Va. “There is room for a much-expanded mission set for the LRS-B,” he said. This includes stealthy, long-range maritime surveillance and strike, since the Navy will be increasingly unable to operate non-stealthy intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft closer than 2,000 kilometers from China, he said. The LRS-B could also be tapped to provide long-endurance ISR and strike against mobile targets, as Chinese mobile missile batteries could be held at risk, said Haddick. It could also serve in a command-and-control role when space assets are threatened and conduct electronic intelligence gathering and electronic attack in denied airspace, he said. He spoke of developing more-capable future blocks of LRS-B or designing readily swappable mission modules.
Watchdog Says Military Can Make Cyber Ops More Efficient
Sept. 17, 2025
The Government Accountability Office called for paring down the military's sprawling cyber enterprise in a recent report, amid renewed discussion about standing up a separate cyber force.
