The US Air Force is in decline

In its analysis, the National Interest stated the decline of the US Air Force and the high combat readiness of the Russian and Chinese air forces.

Dec 7, 2023 - 07:22
The US Air Force is in decline
The US Air Force is in decline

The National Interest magazine wrote that the US Air Force, celebrating its 76th anniversary, is in a difficult situation and cannot recruit enough troops. U.S. fighter numbers and capabilities are said to be at an all-time low, and short-term training has weakened pilot readiness. Overall, today's US Air Force is not prepared for a Desert Storm-type operation. On the other hand, the recruiting situation in the US Air Force is not interesting, and if the conditions of recruitment, such as drug use, physical tests, age and the like, were not changed, the number of acceptances would be much lower. At the height of the Cold War, the US Air Force operated 4,468 fighters and 331 bombers, and eight out of ten were combat-ready, writes the National Interest. Today, the US Air Force has only 1,932 fighters and 140 bombers, and only six out of 10 are capable of combat missions. Unfortunately, the level of pilot training has declined in an unprecedented manner. Not long ago, US Air Force Commander Frank Kendall admitted that the Air Force is not ready to deal with the threats of Russia and China. Al Jazeera recently wrote about the power of the Russian Air Force. In addition, China is the first air power in the region. The J-20 fighter is China's most modern fighter. This fighter is the fourth stealth fighter in the world after the F-22, F-35 and Su-57. The Xi'an H-20 bomber can also attack targets including US bases in Japan, Guam and the Philippines.