Opinion: US Air Force chief warns it’s time to rebuild

As of 2025, airpower remains vital to the USAF’s strategy. Emerging threats from China and Russia highlight the need to maintain a technological edge. Fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft, hypersonic weapons, and integrated command and control systems are now essential to securing air superiority. However, the overall age and size of the USAF fleet raise concerns about its ability to sustain global airpower projection.

General Allvin, writing in Breaking Defense, said: “It’s make or break time. America needs more air force.”

Over the past decade, the China’s Air Force has undergone rapid modernisation, becoming a well-equipped global force. Allvin said: “Last month, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) released videos of not just one, but two new sixth-generation aircraft. And while the US Air Force was not surprised by this development, it is my sincere hope that this got America’s attention and serves as a wake-up call.”

“We also lack control of our own force structure, which is the oldest in our history, as we are blocked from divesting aircraft and programs ill-suited for today’s threat environment. Our fleet today contains aircraft as old as if we had fought the Vietnam War with Wright Flyers.”

China’s advancements include the J-20 and J-35 fighters, mass production of modern Russian/Soviet airframes, autonomous systems, early warning aircraft, tankers, and a rumoured stealth strategic bomber. These developments have propelled Beijing’s air force up global rankings.

“With the character of war changing before our eyes, it is more important than ever to provide the airpower America’s joint forces need to deter conflict and win the fight if called upon,” Allvin said. “But that’s easier said than done, because our service lacks the required funding and resources, even as the potential for near-term conflict grows. In short, America needs more air force and it needs it now.”

China’s rapid advancements, coupled with delays in the US sixth-generation fighter programs and ongoing issues with the F-35 Lightning II, raise concerns about the USAF’s ability to remain dominant. Allvin said: “The PRC has invested in a first-rate air force and has instituted realistic training programs rivalling our own. The fact that these advances have been built on intellectual property stolen from our industrial base (and, on occasion, with the help of Western-trained pilots for hire) tells us we still maintain an advantage worthy of their dogged pursuit. But to leverage these advantages, we must invest in them.”

He also said: “Today, our aircraft fleet is smaller and older than any time in history, and the gap between our high-end combat training and that of our pacing competitors has closed dramatically. As the arc of the threat increases daily, it is my assessment this risk is unacceptable and will continue to rise without substantially increased investment in airpower.”

Overcoming these challenges is complicated by fiscal constraints. The US and its allies, including Australia, seek cost-effective platforms rather than expensive, limited-production aircraft. Allvin said: “More air force doesn’t just mean buying more expensive ‘stuff’. It means an appropriate mix of exquisite and low-cost capabilities to provide dilemmas for adversaries and stay on the right side of the cost curve. It means funding a nimble force strategically postured on the doorstep of our adversary to asymmetrically deny its ability to rapidly seize territory.”

“More air force means funding a family of medium- and long-range penetrating airframes coupled with modern munitions, survivable refuelling, human-machine teaming and a hardened warfighting network – a combination designed to protect American interests and capable of disabling our adversary’s ability to defend themselves. More air force means defending those systems and supporting them through a robust logistics chain.”

Delivering these capabilities will be a key challenge for the Trump administration, which has pledged to rebuild the US Armed Forces while ensuring a more sustainable and efficient defense model. “The solution is clear: We must be allowed to grow. That requires significant financial investment on behalf of the American people. Yes, major investments are a tough ask right now. But this is about the security of the nation, and as we saw last month, China is hellbent on lapping us in the skies. It cannot be allowed to do so,” Allvin said.

“Moreover, America’s sons and daughters deserve the best training, weapons and equipment we can provide so they can fly, fight, win and come home. They don’t have all those right now. To fix that, our airmen and America itself need more air force.”

The Australian government has outlined its long-term air combat strategy in the 2024 Integrated Investment Program, planning to retain its fleet of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, E/A-18G Growlers, and MQ-28A Ghost Bat drones alongside the F-35 Lightning II. However, achieving air superiority will require a more nuanced approach that balances capability and cost.

Despite strategic shifts, little has changed for the Royal Australian Air Force since the 2016 Defence White Paper. The ongoing focus on Army’s long-range strike capabilities – via systems like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and Precision Strike Missile – has left the Air Force with an undefined role beyond “expeditionary air power.” Without significant changes, it is unclear how the Air Force will be positioned five to ten years from now.