Build Partner Airpower, Not Air Forces

Lessons Learned and Policy Recommendations from the American Experience of Building the Iraqi and Afghan Air Forces

Tobias Bernard Switzer

Expert InsightsPublished May 6, 2026

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) announced its intent to cut several units that train and advise foreign military partners, including two squadrons focused on aviation security force assistance (AvSFA) in Latin America and Africa. However, building partner airpower is often a key element of the United States' approach to irregular warfare, and the country will likely need to employ AvSFA again to achieve its desired policy outcomes.

This paper examines lessons from U.S. efforts to build air forces in Iraq and Afghanistan during counterinsurgency operations from 2004 to 2021. Studying Afghanistan and Iraq yields three key lessons about building partner air forces in the context of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism: (1) The USAF struggled to lead AvSFA, (2) complex technology undermines low-capacity states, and (3) partner nations require permanent logistics and maintenance support to sustain airpower.

Drawing on historical analysis and extensive interviews with key commanders and policymakers, the author offers policy recommendations for future AvSFA missions in irregular warfare: (1) The Department of War should designate U.S. Special Operations Command as the AvSFA lead, with the USAF in a supporting role; (2) the department should reject sophisticated technology for partners and use "cheap, fast, and good enough" as the criteria for AvSFA technology acquisitions; and (3) the department should direct commanders to build partner airpower for combat, not air force management organizations.

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Switzer, Tobias Bernard, Build Partner Airpower, Not Air Forces: Lessons Learned and Policy Recommendations from the American Experience of Building the Iraqi and Afghan Air Forces. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA4593-3.html.
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The research described in this report was sponsored by the Department of the Air Force and conducted by the Strategy and Doctrine Program within RAND Project AIR FORCE.

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