AMERICA’S AIRLIFT AND SEA LIFT DEFICIT: It exists, unfortunately. This article does a good job of sketching the problem.

Here it is, succinctly:

TRANSCOM doesn’t have enough ships, airborne tankers or cargo aircraft to get a large number of troops to a battlefield and sustain them.

Last week I was at a conference where I linked up with an old friend who is a retired Australian Army reserve officer. He remains active in Australia’s military and foreign policy community. After the conference ended we went to one of my favorite Texas cafes. We discussed North Korea and Asian security then got to talking about C-17s — what fabulous planes they are and how we don’t have enough of them. Australia bought two of the last big batch Boeing manufactured. It has eight in service. My friend said he knows Australia and the U.S. both need more C-17s. For that matter, so do Canada, Great Britain and NATO. (If our list sounds parochial, remember the conversation was between an Australian and an American. FWIW, NATO’s Heavy Airlift Wing has three C-17s.)

There is simply no other transport plane that can do what it does. Unfortunately, Boeing built its last C-17 Globemaster III in late 2015.

Here’s an extract from the Defense Industry Daily article on the Aussie’s C-17 buy:

Australia is a big country. Coast to coast distances are roughly the same as New York to Los Angeles. Or, to put it another way, you could drop Europe on top from Lisbon, Portugal to the Russia-Ukraine border. Tactical transport aircraft like the C-130J Hercules and the C-27J Spartan are necessary within the country, and Australia’s role as a regional stabilizer and a Western country extends its circles of influence and concern to locations far beyond its shores.

An intratheater transport was necessary, and Australia’s government sums up their choice as follows: “One C-17A can carry up to four C-130 Hercules loads in a single lift, and cover twice the distance in three-quarters of the time of a C-130.”

The plane’s tactical advantage and combat loads:

C-17s can even operate from unpaved, unimproved runways, though this is rarely done. The potential for minor but expensive damage from flying rocks or other hazards makes air forces reluctant to do it, unless there’s some compelling need.

The C-17 is designed to airdrop up to 102 paratroopers and equipment. In Australian terms, it can also carry one 60-ton M1 Abrams tank as well as loads ranging from 5 Bushmaster external link infantry vehicles to 3 Tiger reconnaissance/attack helicopters external link.

“Compelling need” means soldiers on the ground need the equipment right now.