Military Review English Edition March-April 2015 | Page 127

AIR-SEA BATTLE

(US Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class John Philip Wagner Jr.)

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson transits the Pacific Ocean 18 September 2014 during Valiant Shield, a biennial Air Force, Navy, and
Marine Corps exercise held in Guam. Valiant Shield exercises focus on proficiency in sustaining joint forces at sea, in the air, on land,
and in cyberspace.

Air-Sea Battle and the
Danger of Fostering a
Maginot Line Mentality
Lt. Col. Raymond Millen, U.S. Army, Retired

S

ince the Air-Sea Battle (ASB) concept is likely
to remain an enduring feature of U.S. national
security, it is fitting to consider its ramifications
for the future of land power. Conceptually, ASB proposes a solution set regarding potential threats to the global
commons (the land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace domains), in order to “preserve U.S. ability to project power
MILITARY REVIEW  March-April 2015

and maintain freedom of action.”1 Accordingly,
threats include the ever-increasing numbers and
sophistication of missiles (e.g., cruise, ballistic, airto-air, and surface-to-air), modern submarines and
fighter aircraft, advanced sea mines, and fast-attack
sea craft, as well as growing competition for space
and cyberspace.
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