Air Force leaders are promising a return to a Cold War posture opposite China and Russia, hoping for a reprieve from the counterterrorism operations of the past two decades as America winds down its presence in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Indo-Pacific and Europe are often spotlighted as the central battleground for civil, military and economic competition with China and Russia. But conversations with air commanders around the world show how the rivalry is shaping operations in their own backyards, from U.S. support for foreign troops to learning to deploy from bare fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Military leaders have grown increasingly vocal with an \u201cAmerica vs. China\u201d narrative that is now a blueprint for the Air Force\u2019s spending choices, its strategic planning and its training curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the dominant military power until you get within about 1,000 miles of China, and then it starts to change,\u201d Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Air Force Times Aug. 13. \u201cChina has been very careful and strategic about fielding capabilities designed to keep us out of their part of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the fight with China is already here \u2014 testing America\u2019s international partnerships, throwing the military supply chain into question, and bringing back talk of a cold war as America\u2019s enduring conflicts in the Middle East simmer on the back burner.<\/p>\n\n\n\t