Army pushing back on 'air-sea battle' narrative.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Defense Insider

Army leaders and outside advisors worry that the narrative in Washington is being seized by advocates of naval and air warfare, and that the Army has yet to put forth a coherent vision of how land warfare fits in the picture.

The issue was one of the topics of a Dec. 6-9 seminar, titled, "What the Army Must Do," which included groups of officers and subject matter experts from academia and civilian agencies.

During a panel discussion, participants voiced concern that, as military spending declines and the nation sours on land wars, the Army could face plunging budgets and diminishing clout within the national security apparatus.

Several experts were particularly peeved that the Pentagon's new "air sea battle" concept for future wars emphasizes Navy and Air Force high-tech weaponry as key to countering rising powers in Asia but neglects to address the role of ground forces. The air-sea battle concept captures the emerging meme in U.S. national security--that land wars soon will be passe and the future is...