Air Base Defense: Rethinking Army and Air Force Roles and Functions

The growing cruise and ballistic missile threat to U.S. Air Force bases in Europe has led to a reassessment of defensive options, including ground-based systems currently assigned to the Army. The gap between this threat and the U.S. capacity and capability to counter the threat is particularly worrisome. This report offers alternative courses of action for Air Force consideration and assesses strengths and weaknesses of each.