This report offers insights into the U.S. Department of the Air Force's (DAF's) role in meeting the objectives of the National Defense Strategy (NDS) generally and the core concept of integrated deterrence specifically. The DAF offers many capabilities critical to the execution of U.S. warfighting goals in ways that support the concepts of the NDS, but the particular emphasis of integrated deterrence might have more-interesting implications for the DAF. 

The Department of the Air Force and Integrated Deterrence

Michael J. Mazarr, Beth Grill, Maggie Habib

ResearchPublished Aug 29, 2024

The U.S. Department of Defense's 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) outlines major concepts intended to guide U.S. defense planning and investment for years to come. The most important of those concepts is integrated deterrence, which represents an effort to improve warfighting effectiveness through greater integration and synergies both within the U.S. government and U.S. military services and between the United States and its allies and partners. All components of the U.S. defense system are now considering the meaning of this concept for their own structure and investments.

This report offers insights into the role of the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF)—including the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force—in meeting the objectives of the NDS generally and the core concept of integrated deterrence specifically. In some ways, that connection is relatively straightforward and obvious. The DAF offers many capabilities critical to the execution of U.S. warfighting goals in ways that support the concepts of the NDS. But the particular emphasis of integrated deterrence might have less-obvious and more-interesting implications for the DAF as it seeks to redefine itself for a new era of international politics and military operations. This is especially true of one category of DAF activities and programs—engagement of allies and partners—on which the authors place particular emphasis in this report.

Key Findings

  • The DAF’s path toward enhancing combat capability is aligned to the demands of the NDS and integrated deterrence. Challenges identified in this research relate to the speed and depth of this plan, not its essential direction or goal.
  • Although all DAF operational imperatives are relevant to enhancing combat credibility, there are capability areas especially linked to integrated deterrence goals that require closer collaboration with allies and partners.
  • A significant gap remains between the stated ambitions of the DAF to engage allies and partners and the practical ability to do so.
  • The DAF could gain deterrent and warfighting advantage by intensifying efforts to engage allies and partners in selected areas.

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Mazarr, Michael J., Beth Grill, and Maggie Habib, The Department of the Air Force and Integrated Deterrence, RAND Corporation, RR-A2311-2, 2024. As of September 11, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2311-2.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Mazarr, Michael J., Beth Grill, and Maggie Habib, The Department of the Air Force and Integrated Deterrence. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2311-2.html.
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