AIA Report: U.S. Defence Modernisation: Today's Choices for Tomorrow's Readiness

09:21 GMT, September 2, 2008 In a new 63-page long report, the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) says the incoming United States president will face “significant policy choices in defence” because “past military modernisation has been chronically delayed.” According to this survey prepared for the winner of the presidential election, the U.S. must change course in the next decade or risk falling behind other global powers.

The report with the name "Defense Modernization: Today's Choices for Tomorrow's Readiness" provides recommendations and cost of failure consequences for nine weapon system sectors in addition to logistics and science and technology activities.

"One of the first tasks of the new administration will be to develop a new forward-looking defence plan," said AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey.

The report points out that the security advantage of the United States – which has not lost a single ground soldier to enemy air attack in more than 50 years – is being threatened because over the next 10-15 years, more than 50 percent of U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fighter aircraft require replacement. “The Air Force has a seriously underfunded aircraft recapitalisation programme when gauged against age parameters and mission requirements, with a fleet averaging 24 years old and with 14 percent grounded or having mission-limiting restrictions.”

"We view the decade of 2010-2019 as critical because many of our currently deployed and mainline defence and aerospace systems will be reaching the end of their useful service lives during this period," it says.

The report also notes that failure to develop long-range strike platforms could render U.S. forces unable to influence events in some of the most dangerous areas of the world, threatening the status of the U.S. as a global power.

“We have deferred defence and aerospace modernisation to the point that modernisation and recapitalisation is increasingly lengthy and expensive. The bill is now due. Either we commit to a decade-long defence recapitalisation and modernisation, or we resign ourselves to a diminutive role on the world stage. If we want to be able to influence events and protect our interests overseas, we must revitalise the ‘arsenal of democracy’ through consistent defence investment.”

The current events on the world stage between Russia and Georgia support the underlying premise in this report." Marion Blakey said. "We can't predict where future conflicts will arise but our national security strategy should be based on full-spectrum dominance."

For the coming budget year, President Bush has sought $518.3 billion for the Defense Department's base budget, a smaller percentage of the total value of U.S. goods and services than the nation spends on dining out or clothes, the survey points out.

AIA is urging the next administration to commit to spending at least four percent of the U.S. gross domestic product on the Defense Department's baseline budget, up from 3.1 percent in fiscal 2008.

The next president will have to make "difficult and painful choices," Fred Downey, the association's official responsible for analysing national security issues, said in releasing the report.

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The author Michael Forster is a well respected German journalist dealing with defence-related stories at his native language weblog www.geopowers.com. Michael is a constant member to the defpro.daily editorial team. He is looking forward to discuss his contributions at defpro.groups > defpro.daily Group

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See the link below for the entire report 
 

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