{"id":21482,"date":"2017-09-20T15:40:35","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T15:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/09\/20\/air-force-commanders-in-the-pacific-europe-turn-to-deterrence-amid-threats\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:37:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:37:25","slug":"air-force-commanders-in-the-pacific-europe-turn-to-deterrence-amid-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2017\/09\/20\/air-force-commanders-in-the-pacific-europe-turn-to-deterrence-amid-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force commanders in the Pacific, Europe turn to deterrence amid threats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. military must continue to innovate and work on how it can project power to hot spots around the world, the top Air Force commander in the Pacific said Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As countries such as North Korea continue to threaten the United States and its allies, one challenge the military faces is other countries\u2019 anti-access\/area denial capabilities, said Gen. Terrence O\u2019Shaughnessy, commander of Pacific Air Forces, during a panel at the Air Force Association\u2019s Air, Space & Cyber conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries use technology such as sensors to deny freedom of movement to potential adversaries, including the United States. This prevents other countries from intervening in conflicts or attacking the A2\/AD areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Shaughnessy said the U.S. military must continue to innovate on how to project power in such an area. He added that the Air Force can conduct operations from either stand-in bases or stand-off bases. The former refers to bases in contested areas, and the latter is projecting power from bases outside of those areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need kind of a hybrid in the Pacific,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the ability to maintain operational tempo from those distances is difficult, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force is also at the wrong end of the cost-curve, O\u2019Shaughnessy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, it doesn\u2019t make sense to take down an enemy cruise missile that costs a couple hundred thousand dollars with the United State\u2019s Patriot surface-to-air missile system or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system that cost millions of dollars, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t do that with those numbers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t