Despite repeated threats by Pentagon officials that a return to sequestration would require a change in strategy, the 2015 national military strategy released Wednesday maintains the existing requirement to defeat an adversary in a “large-scale, multi-phase campaign, while denying … another aggressor” elsewhere. The strategy assesses the probability of an interstate war to be “low but growing,” but notes that, “Should one occur … the consequences would be immense.” Violent extremist organizations, such as ISIS, pose an immediate risk. And, the risk of a hybrid approach to warfare, as exhibited by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is likely. “Hybrid conflicts serve to increase ambiguity, complicate decision-making, and slow the coordination of effective responses,” states the report. As such, the strategy details three national military objectives. They are: “to deter, deny, and defeat state adversaries; to disrupt, degrade and defeat [violent extremist organizations]; and to strengthen our global network of allies and partners.”
Senior Air Force leaders have made a clarion call for improving Total Force readiness to prepare for potential conflict with the nation’s pacing threats. Most notably, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall is emphasizing readiness and mobilization as one...