According to a report from a Washington-based foreign affairs think tank, Chinese missiles have the capability to delay U.S. responses in the Indo-Pacific region. The Stimson Center published a report titled “Cratering Effects: Chinese Missile Threats to US Air Bases in the Indo-Pacific” on Dec. 12, highlighting the vulnerability of U.S. air bases to missile attacks from China. The report suggests that China could gain air superiority in a conflict by destroying U.S. runways with missiles.
The authors of the report used a model to calculate the potential shutdown duration of U.S. air bases if their runways and taxiways are disabled. Results showed that attacks on runways in Japan could prevent fighter jets from taking off for at least 280 hours, or 11.7 days, at the beginning of a war. Additionally, China could disrupt U.S. combat operations for an extended period, as tanker jets would be grounded for more than a month (33.3 days) in the event of runway damage.
The report also noted that runway closures could force U.S. bombers to relocate to bases in Australia, Hawaii, or Alaska, adding flight time and reducing the number of bomber sorties that the United States could generate each day. To counter such threats, the authors recommended investing in cheap drones, long-range precision weapons, and runway repair capabilities. They also suggested strengthening partnerships with allies to secure access to their airports in the event of a conflict with China.
The U.S. military has developed a Rapid Airfield Damage Recovery (RADR) program to quickly reopen runways after an attack, but the report raised concerns about the program’s effectiveness in restoring sortie generation in a military conflict. The Department of Defense is actively investing in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, including upgrading airfields and air bases to address threats posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.
The initiative involves the development of the Guam Defense System to protect the region from various missile threats. Investments in airfields in the second island chain and pilot training for operations in these areas are also part of the initiative. Alternative strategies such as long-range precision strikes and the use of drones and hypersonic missiles have been proposed in military strategic reports to counter potential threats. Please rewrite this sentence for me.
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