The study described in this report assessed the potential for the United States to receive support in air component capabilities from partners and allies in the event of a major combat contingency in the Indo-Pacific region. The accompanying report focuses on technical and operational considerations related to partner and ally support; This report focuses on the geopolitical side of the equation: whether partners and allies are willing to support US actions. Capabilities alone do not equal war results. Partners and allies must be prepared to join the US in conflict.
The authors focused their analysis on 12 countries representing US treaty allies, significant regional players, and countries with a specific air component that are potentially critical to accidents. These countries are Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The authors then identified four possible high-level conflict scenarios against which they assessed the potential contribution of these countries: The peninsula after the collapse of North Korea.
This research was commissioned and sponsored by the US Air Force Headquarters and conducted by the RAND Project AIR FORCE Strategy and Doctrine Program.
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