Next-Generation Long-Range Strike: Combating the Tyranny of Distance

Abstract : Adversary Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) capabilities are reducing the efficacy of U.S. land and carrier based short-range strike systems placing U.S. strategy in the Pacific and the Middle East at risk. A lack of forward basing combined with an ever increasing mobile ballistic missile threat to the Navys carriers will most likely ensure that U.S. forces will have to overcome enormous distances in order to provide a direct attack capability to the combatant commander. Moreover, the preponderance of U.S. long-range strike assets, the legacy bomber fleet, is old, getting harder to maintain, and is becoming increasingly unable to penetrate modern integrated air defense systems.