Air Mobility Plan, 2008 - The Black Vault

of democratic, well-governed states that can meet the needs of their citizens and conduct themselves
responsibly in the international system. This is the best way to provide enduring security for the
American people.”
Our Nation’s commitment to encourage free and open societies was
clearly seen in multiple, first-time elections in the Middle East: Iraq,
Afghanistan, Palestine, and Lebanon. Had it not been for the actions
of the US and our allies, this would not have happened; and we know
these successes have not come without sacrifice. US service men
and women, our allies, contractor personnel, innocent civilians, and
foreign nationals have given their lives to permit others to enjoy the
opportunities that democracy offers.
Recent events have had important implications for the employment of air mobility forces; unforeseen
trends will undoubtedly emerge in the coming years and will require our plans for the future air
mobility forces be flexible and robust in the face of uncertainty.
The NSS focuses on several essential tasks. The United States must:
• Champion aspirations for human dignity.
• Strengthen alliances to defeat global terrorism and work to prevent attacks against us and
our friends.
• Work with others to defuse regional conflicts.
• Prevent our enemies from threatening us, our allies, and our friends with weapons of mass
destruction.
• Ignite a new era of global economic growth through free markets and free trade.
• Expand the circle of development by opening societies and building the infrastructure of
democracy.
National Defense Strategy
The National Defense Strategy (NDS) builds upon the NSS and recognizes that “uncertainty is the
defining characteristic of today’s strategic environment. We can identify trends but cannot predict
specific events with precision.” It places future challenges into four categories: traditional, irregular,
catastrophic, and disruptive.
The NDS describes each of the following four challenges:
The first is Traditional: states employing armies, navies, and air forces in long-established
forms of military competition.
The second challenge is Irregular: adversaries employing irregular methods aimed to erode
US influence, patience, and political will.
The third is Catastrophic: the ability of adversaries to have easy access to informationrelated
technologies and the ability to possess or seek weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
This challenge is very problematic because neither the US nor our allies can afford to allow
this to happen even once. Every measure must be taken to dissuade any adversary that may
pose this challenge.
The last challenge is Disruptive: revolutionary technology and associated military innovation
that can fundamentally alter long-established concepts of warfare. This challenge can be
almost as devastating as catastrophic because of the exploitation of US vulnerabilities and
those of its partners.
Air Mobility Operating Environment
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