The U.S. Air Force will likely be increasing Bomber Task Force patrols, increasing its presence in the Pacific in coming months and possibly even adding more F-35s in response to China’s aggressive expansion of its Air Force and the provocative actions it continues in sensitive areas near Taiwan and Japan.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown said the service is concerned that China does have a larger air presence in the Pacific than the U.S., yet he stopped short of specifying any particular measures he might direct in response.
Air Force in the Pacific
He did say the possibility of increasing the Air Force footprint in the Pacific was realistic, and added that U.S. allies in the region are increasingly playing a vital role in collective deterrence against China.
At the Air Force Association’s annual symposium, Brown told me the Air Force was now doing a lot of “analysis wargaming” to determine what he said would be the “right force capability for bombers, ISR and command and control.”
He did say the Air Force would “continue” its use of bomber task forces wherein key aircraft such asB-2s, B-1Bs and even Theater Air Sustainment Packages with F-35s uptick patrols and deterrence operations in the region.
