With the on-going war against terror, now is not the time for the Essay

With the on-going war against terror, now is not the time for the government to reduce the size of the Air Force - Essay Example According to current plans, the American Air Force is set to be reduced in size by 20,000 personnel. Such a reduction would mean a decrease of almost 30% in numeric strength and weaken the Air Force considerably. The war we are fighting today means having the ability to drop soldiers into combat hot zones, provide them with terrain information, air cover and bring them back home once an operation is complete (Wikipedia, 2006). All these functions demand that we keep a capable and strong Air Force which would be very difficult to have with a third of the Air Force seeking jobs elsewhere. It can be said that a reduction in the armed forces overall would be good for peace and prosperity of the nation as a whole, but it is not correct to say that now is the right time to take such actions. The concept of war is indeed a concept of suffering and there is no argument on the point that when we are at peace we would have little need for a huge Air Force. However, at the present moment, we are not at peace therefore a reduction in the Air Force is simply illogical. Additionally, the war we are fighting is different from any other in our history and we have to develop new tools as well as techniques to take on a hidden enemy who strikes from the shadows. Without our Air Force at full strength, such a task would be difficult if not impossible. After the end of the cold war and the collapse of the Soviet Union, America barely had time to enjoy its status as the sole superpower in the world because of the changing geopolitical scenarios. In fact, the current situation shows that America is more involved in protecting its foreign interests than it has been at any point in history (Wikipedia, 2006). However, to expect that America can offer protection to its allies and friends by simply exerting diplomatic force is unrealistic. War is often inevitable and small