US sustainability for drone swarm attacks such as in Ukraine

Seoul, South Korea-the Surprising drone attack The Ukraine on the strategic bomber fleets in this Week has caused generals and analysts to re-evaluate the threats to high-ranking US air vehicles at farms at home and abroad. The situation is worrying.

The vulnerability of the US bases

"It is an eye opener," said General David Allvin, head of the US air weapon, at a defense conference in Washington on Tuesday and added that the United States was amazed against similar attacks.

"There is no safe place, even in the home country of the USA - especially since our bases at home are essentially completely unprotected," explained Thomas Shugart, a respected employee of the center for new American security (CNAS), compared to Cnn.

inadequate protective measures for US fighter aircraft

By "unprotected", Shugart says that there are not enough shelter in which US fighting aircraft can be parked to protect them from air strikes, be it by drones or rockets.

Ukrainian military officers reported that 41 Russian planes were hit in the attacks last Sunday, including strategic bombers and espionage flights, with some destroyed and others were damaged.

analysis of the attacks and their consequences

After later analyzes, at least 12 aircraft were identified as destroyed or damaged, while the evaluations of satellite images were continued. The Ukrainian operation used drones that were illegally smuggled into Russian territory, hidden in mobile wooden houses on trucks that were driven close to four Russian air force bases.

The roofs of the mobile houses were openly opened once near the bases, and the drones were started to attack. The Russian planes were unprotected on the roller field at the bases, similar to the US fighter aircraft at facilities at home and abroad.

The costs of security measures

"We are quite vulnerable," said the US Army General Stanley McChrystal, which is in retirement, on Tuesday in the program of Anderson Cooper at CNN. "We have many high -ranking missions that are extremely expensive," added McChrystal.

The Ukrainians reported that their attacks had destroyed Russian aircraft worth $ 7 billion. For comparison: a single B-2 bomber of the US air weapon costs $ 2 billion, and the USA only have 20 of them.

challenges for the US defense strategy

Shugart co-authated a report for the Hudson Institute, which emerged in January and highlighted the threat to US military facilities by China in the event of a conflict between the superpowers.

The report indicates that the air forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) can attack US air vehicles and their support systems at air farms worldwide, including in the mainland of the United States.

The cost factor for defense strategies

Allvin admitted the problem on Tuesday. "At the moment I think that we are not where we should be," said Allvin at the CNA's conference. McChrystal asked the United States to check how they could protect their bases and the aircraft stationed there, but also how they monitor the areas around these facilities.

"It extends the spectrum of threats that have to be dealt with," said McChrystal.

considerations for defense financing

But all of this costs money, and Allvin expressed that the USA presented this in front of a budget dilemma. Should defense spending for protected accommodations and measures be used to prevent drone and rocket attacks to US bases, or are more resources invested in offensive weapons to combat enemies?

"If we can only play defensively and not shoot back, then this is not a good use of our money," said Allvin at the CNA's conference. "We have always known that it was necessary to strengthen our bases," added Allvin, but other points would have given priority in the budgets.

protected aircraft underrays are not spectacular and will probably not make the headlines like other defense projects, including new jets such as the B-21 bombers, which are expected to cost around $ 700 million.

Interactions in the defense area

President Donald Trump has recently announced that the Air Force a new trap hunter, the f-47 , with initial costs of 300 million dollar per plane. "The F-47 is an amazing plane, but it will die on the ground if we don't protect it," said Allvin.

Meanwhile, according to Shugart and Walton, a protected shelter costs around $ 30 million.

strengths and weaknesses of Russia in the war

In the case of Russia, the extensiveness of its territory was seen as a strength in the war with Ukraine. One of the air uses that was attacked as part of the Ukrainian Operation "Spiderweb" was closer to Tokyo than to Kiev. But now the size of Russia is seen as a weakness, as David Kirichenko is in Ukraine Watch Blog of the Atlantic Council writes.

Every border crossing could be an infiltration point; Every freight container on every highway or rail network must be viewed with distrust. "This is a logistical nightmare," said Kirichenko.

comparison to the USA and its vulnerable bases

A direct analogue can be moved to the United States. The United States usually has its bomber bases far in Germany, but they are accessible to vehicles of all sizes. All 20 B-2 bombers are stationed, for example, on the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, about 600 miles from the next coast, but only about 25 miles south of Interstate 70, one of the main traffic axes in the east and west of the United States, which is passed every day by thousands of commercial vehicles.

The Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, one of several home sites of the US B-1 bombers, is located south of another important East-West traffic axis, the Interstate 20.

alarm in the US security system

"Think of all the containers and illegal immigrants within our borders," said Carl Schuster, a former operating director of the Joint Intelligence Center of the US Pacific Command. "This connection will trigger the alarm in some US circles," he added.

The challenges in the Pacific space

In the meantime,

even the better offensive fire power of the United States, which General Allvin wants, could not be sufficient in the event of a conflict with China. Because the PLA has made great efforts in its massive military structure under the guide Xi Jinping to protect its planes, as the Hudson Institute reports.

china has more than 650 protected aircraft shelves at airfields within 1,150 miles of the Taiwanstraß, the report says. But Shugart and Walton argue that the best step that Washington could take would be to make Beijing build even more-by improving the US battles in Asia.

"In response to this, the PLA would probably continue to spend funds for additional costly passive and active defense means and would therefore have less money for alternative investments, including impact and other power projection skills," they concluded.