Development of the new Air-Sea Battle concept has revealed areas where the Air Force and Navy can leverage “investments and capability” in some of their most sensitive programs, said Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements. “We did things here that we have not done in a long time,” Breedlove told reporters Thursday in Washington, D.C., when discussing the process of developing the Air-Sea Battle doctrine. He added, “We knocked down every barrier when it comes to knowing about each other’s investments and most secret programs.” As a result the USAF-Navy team working on Air-Sea Battle had unparalleled access to evaluate programs across both services and gauge how they would support each respective service, he said. For example, a given Navy capability could be critical to protecting airfields, while a USAF capability could be useful in aiding the fleet with targeting, explained Breedlove.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.