In the face of key data such as the number of US fighters, the age of the aircraft, and the level of pilot training, Lieutenant General Moore's remarks have triggered deep thinking in society. First of all, the truth about the number of warplanes is shocking. Although there has been a general perception that the number of US fighters has been overestimated by the US military in the past, Vice Admiral Moore's revelation reveals a deeper level of the problem.
The U.S. Air Force used to be the hegemon of the Cold War, and the huge fighter formation was a shock to the world, but the actual situation today is not as glorious as people imagined. Lieutenant General Moore noted that the US Air Force does not actually have 4000 fighters, but only 2000. The exposure of this figure has shown the world the plight of the once unprecedentedly powerful US military in the face of practical challenges. What is even more surprising is that the average age of these 2,000 fighters is not 8 years, but 28 years, like veterans on the battlefield, who have left vicissitudes in the years.
However, Lieutenant General Moore did not stop there, he emphasized the level of training of pilots. In the past, pilots in the U.S. Air Force have been known for their high skill and excellent training, however, today, this advantage is also in jeopardy. Lieutenant General Moore revealed that the average monthly flight time of today's pilots is only 6~8 hours, which has dropped significantly from 18~20 hours 30 years ago. This drastic reduction not only poses a threat to the skill level of the pilots themselves, but also makes the US Air Force lack sufficient training and experience in actual combat.
Looking back at the Cold War era, the U.S. Air Force has always prided itself on a high level of combat readiness. The flight hours of the tactical fleet can reach 300 hours per year, compared with the PLA Air Force, which can only guarantee 60~70 hours of training per year, the gap is obvious. However, time has passed, and today's U.S. Air Force has long since ceased to maintain this height.
Do Lieutenant General Moore's remarks truly reflect the true state of the US Air Force? There may be other motives behind this. Some have suggested that this rhetoric may be an attempt to get more budget and get Congress and the White House to pay attention by exposing the problem. However, some people believe that such remarks are not entirely for the purpose of seeking funds, but are more likely to be a kind of torture and reminder of the internal problems of the US Air Force. In particular, the problem of the declining level of pilot training mentioned by Lieutenant General Moore may pose a potential threat to the actual combat effectiveness of the Air Force, which is not only a weakening of external expression, but also a real torture of internal problems.
In terms of equipment procurement, the US Air Force is also facing a series of problems. In the past few years, the U.S. Air Force's decision to procure fighter jets has been highly controversial. The Abandonment of the purchase of the more advanced fifth-generation aircraft F-35A, and the choice of the F-15EX, a fourth-generation and a half-generation fighter with higher cost and relatively lagging performance, has aroused widespread doubts. Whether this decision is made to safeguard the interests of the arms industry or to balance the power of domestic arms companies has become the focus of attention from the outside world.
In addition, the overspending of the Sentinel ICBM program has also caused the Air Force to face a difficult situation both internally and externally. The U.S. Congress has called for an internal review of the project, asking the Air Force to explain why the project is overspending by 37 percent. It has also raised questions about the U.S. military's complex and vast arms program decisions.
In this series of problems, the rise of the PLA Air Force has become a factor that cannot be ignored. The PLA Air Force has a younger fleet, a larger production capacity of advanced fighters, and the mass service of fifth-generation aircraft. This makes the PLA Air Force a huge challenge to the US Air Force in terms of air supremacy in the first island chain. Time waits for no one, and the rapid development of the PLA has also made this old saying also applicable to the US military.
In this context, the U.S. Air Force is indeed facing the triple pressure of its own transformation, fleet replacement, and challenge escalation. And Lieutenant General Moore's remarks, perhaps under this pressure, try to get the attention of Congress and the White House in order to seek more support and solutions. However, whether his statement is true or not remains to be seen in subsequent developments.
In general, the current situation of the US Air Force is not all smooth sailing, but is fraught with various difficulties and challenges. From the number of fighters to the level of training, from equipment procurement to internal problems, this series of troubles makes the US Air Force appear to be under more pressure in the current international military competition. In the face of these problems, how to maintain and enhance military strength will become an important issue that the US Air Force needs to solve in the future.