1 week Ago By Aaron Spray
According to a statement , United States Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi have just visited South Korea to meet their Korean counterparts.
During the meeting, the air chiefs discussed the current strategic environment and how the two air forces can more effectively deter aggression . The United States enjoys very close relations with South Korea and has long helped it withstand aggression from its unpredictable northern neighbor. US Air Force air chiefs met with Korean counterparts The two US air chiefs met with the South Korean Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.
Lee Youngsu at the South Korean Air Force Headquarters in Gyeryongdae in South Korea. The visit comes as there are growing reports that North Korea may be moving thousands of soldiers to aid Russia in its invasion of Ukraine (US intelligence have not confirmed these reports). “Challengers to a free and open Indo-Pacific are real, from the Korean peninsula to the South China Sea.
That is why our ironclad alliance with the ROK [South Korea] has never been more important. Together, we continue to strengthen our interoperability and sharpen the combined readiness of our forces.” - US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.
David Allvin According to the Air Force press release, one initiative is being tested in the Seventh Air Force stationed at Osan Air Base in Korea, which has temporarily shifted F-16 fighter jets on the Peninsula to optimize "readiness and combat effectiveness." The North Korean Air Force is mostly made up of an impressive collection of museum-worth obsolete airframes (which include MiG-23s, MiG-19s, and MiG-21s); these would pose little threat to South Korea's fleet of F-16, F-15, and F-35 fighter jets. That said, the war in Ukraine's shows air bases can become vulnerable to other threats - like missile and drone strikes.
Cuba, Iran, and North Korea once had powerful air forces, but today, they pose little threat against a modern air force. The rise of Great Power Competition in the area However, not everything between South Korea and the United States is about countering North Korea. The US Air Force has been focusing increasingly on countering a rising and ever-increasingly assertive China in the region.
Allivin also discussed the evolution of the US Air Force and how it is responding to changing geopolitical dynamics. The Air Force stated that Allvin " emphasized the importance of readiness. He highlighted the need for reoptimization to adapt to Great Power Competition, focusing on improving current force readiness and developing future capabilities.
He also stressed the importance of large-scale exercises, agile combat employment and human-machine teaming. " The US Air Force no longer feels safe operating from its forward air bases in the region like it once did and feels these are now vulnerable to any Chinese attack. It is working to be a more agile organization and operate from dispersed air bases in the region.
The US Air Force is in a period of adapting to the changing military balance in the region..
