The Near-Term Future of UK Air Power - Essay Example

The Near Term Future of UK Air Power Introduction The Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom certainly has a long and storied history. The force itself it the pride of the country and has served to solidify the nation’s defense, both domestically and abroad, for the better part of the century. We do, however, live in a new age that has forced the nation to look towards the future of UK air power and how the division will be structured moving into a new era. From its inception as the Royal Flying Corps, to its current function as the Royal Air Force, air power provided by the combined forces of the United Kingdom as formed a central part of the overall military strategy deployed throughout the region. They have served to only protect air interested over the United Kingdom, but its many allies around the globe as well. When called upon, the Royal Air Force has done what it can to lend assistance. The future, however, will see many of the mechanisms by which air power is facilitated change, while the core function of protecting and defending will remain the same. While the past has demonstrated the effective of the air power inherent within the structure of the United Kingdom, such as their ability to assist allied forces in the war in Afghanistan, the reality is that the future will likely look much different. That is the focus of this concise report. 2. The Future of UK Air Power and Operations It has been stated that, for the Royal Air Force to continue at its current level of effectiveness, it will need to enhance its partnerships with allies in order to deliver the air power necessary to defend domestic interests into the middle part of the 21st century. The future of air power in the United Kingdom, then, will likely involve partnerships with various interests, both internationally and domestic (Blount, 2009). These partnerships will be with both military and civilian organizations, and from a combination of government and industry interest groups. In this age of increasing global military technology, in conjunction with ever growing threats from various terrorist organizations that would seek to harm UK interests, these partnerships are quickly becoming vital to ensuring the effective delivery of air power in terms of UK interests moving forward in the 21st century. The future will involve the increasing importance, for example, of engaging in space and cyber technology as a means of further refining the overall strategy relating to air power, both within the borders of the United Kingdom, and beyond (Blount, 2009). . Technology is already serving to reshape how the UK views it propensity to guard the skies. Consider, for example, the reality that a pilot can actually fly an unmanned aircraft on maneuvers from more than 3,000 miles away, the likes of which was never really envisioned to be a firm possibility a short time ago. This has enabled the reach of UK air power to expand, but the future of this technology will necessitate a renewed investment in maintaining such superiority at a cost that is reasonable, both financially and logistically. It is a paradigm shift that is both exciting and frightening at the same time. Through it all, it can be said that the Royal Air Force within the United Kingdom will continue to remake itself, in terms of its capability, organization, and infrastructure in the coming decades (Laird, 2009). The modern day methods of conducting air defense operation is exhibiting a need to constantly redefine the manner in which nations go about provide defense capabilities. Laird (2009) expressed this well by stating, “The evolution of 21st century air operations is unfolding under the impact of a new generation of fight aircraft and a significant shift in the role of air operations in support of ground and maritime forces” (p. 1). This continues to shape the operation structure of the air force moving forward. We are now entering an era of fifth generation aircraft that will continue to redefine this transformation even further. The combination of factors resulting in challenges of meeting current and future defense demands are impacting all aspects of combat operations, of which air support and power are a vital part of. No longer will air power be seen as an independent part of the overall structure of the UK military, but will rather been seen as a part of a harmonious military involving air, ground, and sea operations. While in the past, air power has been viewed largely as a way to exert dominance over another country or region, the role will shift in the future as the capabilities of fighter jets increase on a global scale. The result will be a future that is aligned with a “fully capable distributed approach to air operations that enables its allies to support the full gamut of military missions” (Larid, 2009, p. 1). In essence, the air power inherent to the United Kingdom will combine with other like minded military forces around the world to promote a more synergetic approach to defense needs around the world. As the United Kingdom grapples with the various issues facing its air power needs moving forward, it has become apparent that there are multiple options available to the government that will enable it to accomplish set military and defense objectives, while creating this new paradigm of a streamlined and more focused force. All forms of conflict today are vastly different than history has afforded Western civilization, so the need for this change is apparent (Bolf, 2009). Some of the options available to the UK government today including using a combination of both hard and soft power in order to develop activities that meet diplomatic, economic, and military influences of power. This applies to the use of air power in numerous ways as one misstep today on the part of the UK forces can inflict immeasurable damage, both in terms of human life and diplomatic upheaval. It is important to consider what air power will be needed in future conflicts in order to ensure continued success moving forward. We know from war strategy that the history of conflict genes to follow a natural cycle of adaptation and response, which is where the UK finds itself now as it examines the role of the Royal Air Force in future battles (Hoffman, 2009). Moving forward, there are certain several challenges facing the aviation portion of the UK’s defense structure. One must be ever mindful, for example, that convict is an often chaotic process as it involves humans that are peaceful one day and aggressive the next. As a rest, the UK must maintain an appropriate air force in regions that it hold interest in, and these forces must be ready for conflict on an hour by hour basis (Byford, 2009). At this same time, a new challenge enters in when one considered the reality that planning for such chaotic and unplanned conflict involves making sure that available resources are available within the structure of revised policies and objectives. This involve a rational decision making process that entails numerous considerations. It may no longer be necessary, for example, for a sizable physical air presence be needed in many regions outside of the United Kingdom as a result of enhanced technology and other assets that can be readily deployed in the even of sustained conflict in such regions. In such cases, the future of the air power inherent to the United Kingdom may very well involve the strategic realignment of military forces to focus more on domestic issues where the most impact can be readily felt and maintained (Byford, 2009). As such, the focus is shifting away from building large and powerful independent forces within the military, and towards structuring the overall defense of the nation to encompass a balanced forces where the combined resources of the defense ministry can be pooled together in times of conflict (Clodfelter, 2012). The combined air forces of the world have certainly served to impact the way that modern wars are fought. They are not, however, supreme forces as there are many variables to consider once a plane is in the air with no quick way to get to the ground. Increasing technology, for example, has made it more possible than ever for ground artillery forces to intercept planes or missiles before they can make impact during an armed conflict. As a result, air power in the future must become more streamlined and incorporated more wisely within the scheme of a modern war in order to have an impact, and minimize the loss of friendly life. This is certainly no easy task. The fundamental nature of war, in its core being, is not stagnant. It is a constantly changing entity and the UK finds itself in the midst of such a transition right now. Within all of this, the UK must grapple with the issue of an ongoing international war in Afghanistan combined the economic reality of the day (Hayward, 2009). There is increasing pressure on the government to reduce spending, particularly in light of the global economic downturn that has impact military forces around the globe. While it is critically important to continue to guard against forces that would seek to harm UK interests, it is also vital that country spend its money and resources wisely. As technology continues to expand, so does the cost of employing such machinery within the context of a modern air force (Exum, 2006). This does not mean, however, that air power in the UK needs to be diminished. On the contrary, the air force of the future will likely be stronger than ever, at a fraction of the cost due to the more strategic implementation of resources that make the acts of fighting and defended more focused and compact. In the near term, the Royal Air Force, in conjunction with NATO forces, is involved in armed conflicts in various places around the world, namely Afghanistan. These will continue until forces withdraw, at which time future initiatives will likely involve a draw down of forces more focused on fiscal responsibility and balanced implementation of machinery, planes, and drones (Dalton, 2009). Moving forward, the air voce in the country needs to adapt in order to continue a fruitful pursuit of the right balance between constantly enhance that nation’s defense capability and using the basis of air and space power to continue to enhance the strength of the military as a whole. In reality, the goal of any strong air force is to be flexible enough to secure control of the air surrounding any area of interest, which then enables the freedom to offer support to ground forces as needed. The problem is that, historically, the cost of doing this on any massive scale has been high. Planes now, however, can be flown at sufficiently high levels to not be detected, and the harm that typically comes pilots in such conflict situations can be minimized or eliminated in the future through the more strategic use of drone based technology. The driving force behind this in the future will be the economic situation. The push will continue to streamline and eliminate any waste within the military, without compromising existing air superiority (Luck 2009). 3. Conclusion It has been stated that the military spending by the year 2017 will be reduced by about 11% (Sabin, 2012). This involves some hard decisions that must be made, but the likelihood of this figure being reduced in slim. As such, the operations of the air force is currently under review to determine areas that can further reduce cost without compromising security. Moving forward, it is vita to both understand and communicate the essential nature of both air and space power within the wider spectrum of the nation’s defense. This is a particularly critical juncture in the history of the United Kingdom as evil seemingly lurks on every face of the planet, and certainly within the confines of UK interests (Schanz, 2007). To this point, however, the Royal Air Force has been largely focused on launching land based support campaigns for the better part of the last decade. While these operations have certain been critical, they seem to be missing the mark in terms of making better use of the air and space power currently possessed by the United Kingdom. Operations are gradually shifting back to more and defined roles and objectives. These include the ability to control both air and space in any region that the UK feels the need to protect, have a mobile air force, and maintaining intelligence and situational awareness that allows for the use of force (Ministry of Defence, 2012). This will enable the legitimacy of the air power in the UK to speak for itself. With a strong Royal Air Force, and its ability to maintain the highest level of modern technology at a more reasonable cost, the hope is that conflicts in the future will be less intensive and more quickly resolved. When threats that would oppose the UK and allied forces realize the combined power inherent through strategic military partnerships forged in the future, the air and space covering UK regions will be well protected. The decade long wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, it is hoped, will be a thing of the past as air power become more strategically grounded on making use of capabilities designed to pool resources, minimize expenses, and assist ground troops on an as needed basis (Parton, 2009). References Blount, C. (2009). Book reviews. Air Power Review, 12(2). Bolf, J. (2009). Air/Land integration in the 100 days: The case of the third army. Air Power Review, 12(2). Byford, A. (2009). The royal air force and the channel dash. Air Power Review, 12(2). Clodfelter, M. (2012). Back from the future: The impact of change on airpower in the decades ahead. Strategic Studies Quarterly, 104-122. Cohen, N. (2009). Few in U.S. See jazeera’s coverage of Gaza war. New York Times, 12 January 2009. Dalton, M. (2009). The future of British air and space power: A personal perspective. Air Power Review, 12(2). Exum, A. (2006). Hizballah at War: A military Assessment. Policy Focus #63. 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