Next gen affirmative 1ac advantage-Econ

Air Power-China Scenario

When airmen look through the lens of irregular warfare, they seek to consciously use airpower in the service of legitimacy – at the tactical, operational and strategic levels: to enhance the legitimacy of partner nations, to bolster U.S. legitimacy in alliance relationships and to advance U.S. legitimacy on the field of global strategic competition. The irregular airpower strategist recognizes that the strength of airpower isn’t only in its responsiveness, but in its long-term contribution to a nation’s integrity, thus the contribution of airpower isn’t only in the kinetic realm, but in the moral sphere as well. What’s distinctive about this outlook is that it fundamentally recognizes the elements of time and relationship building, and the centrality of building partnerships and building partners’ capacities, not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental element to strategy at all levels. Every friendly state whose capacity can be advanced to where they can provide for their own internal defense, patrol their own skies and coasts, defend their own airspace is one less opportunity to be a failed state or an easy target of aggression, and one less potential crisis that would cost America its sons and daughters. Every friendly state which can provide for its own security can become a net security provider, and contribute capabilities for regional response that allows burden sharing. By proving ourselves to be a reliable security partner in the Asia-Pacific, we enhance our own access; thus, edging out strategic competitors and complicating their anti-access strategies. But being the security partner of choice goes beyond deployments that just prove our presence and resolve to defend our partners’ security to include meaningful planning to enhance our partners’ capacity for self-help.

Mackenzie Eaglen and Douglas A. Birkey, American Enterprise Institute, 2012 (“Nearing coffin corner: US air power on the edge”, March 21, 2012, http://www.aei.org/outlook/foreign-and-defense-policy/defense/nearing-coffin-corner-us-air-power-on-the-edge/, accessed 7/17/12)

If the Obama administration and Congress truly believe in the centrality of the Asia-Pacific region to the nation’s fundamental interests, they need to transform rhetoric into meaningful action. In Asia today, American resolve, influence, and presence are being challenged by a rising great power for the first time since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Budget and policy priorities must reflect the need to continually strengthen air and sea power to allow technologies to mature and the full value of taxpayer investments to be realized. Continued reliance on aging Cold War–era systems will effectively sunset US ability to credibly engage in the Asia-Pacific theater. Considerable lead time is required to recapitalize key weapons systems and enhance associated support infrastructure. This means action is needed today, especially when addressing draconian issues like budget sequestration.
Air power in Asia key to stability

Higley 2010. Lt. Col Sam Higley “Vice chief describes airpower's key role in Pacific at Tinian symposium”

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123216891

Together with allies and partners like Japan, the U.S. officials continue to help underwrite security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, the general said. General Chandler said the Air Force and Navy are forging a new vision of cooperation between the two services called Air-Sea Battle, and that this integration will be especially important to the Pacific area of operations. Additionally, presence continues to be important to regional peace and stability, he said. "Our current posture in the Pacific reflects this reality and relies on our presence on Guam and the Northern Marianas to project stability throughout East Asia," General Chandler said. "Andersen Air Force Base is a key component of our long-term commitment to the region." Investments in long-range strike will also augment the United States' forward presence throughout Asia, the general said. "The security and stability of the Pacific region has long been guaranteed by the strength of our diplomacy and our alliances, all of which have been underwritten by American long-range power projection," General Chandler said. "Maintaining that balance still requires our vigilance." Maj. Gen. Doug Owens, the Pacific Air Forces vice commander at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, attended the symposium as well, and spoke at a wreath-laying ceremony Aug. 6 held at the Tinian bomb pits designed to load the two atomic bombs on to the B-29s.

Air Power-NoKo Scenario

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NXL/is_3_19/ai_n27869320/

In order to address why US airpower has become such an important deterrent to the North Korean military threat, one must first note how that threat has changed. During the 1990s, North Korea--a nation of 22 million people--boasted the world's fifth largest military (fig. 1). Its army fields 3,700 tanks, 3,500 armored personnel carriers, over 4,000 self-propelled artillery pieces, and nearly 800 aircraft. (2) Since subsidies from a collapsed Soviet Union ceased at the end of the Cold War, North Korea has faced the absolute impossibility of maintaining the readiness and capabilities of a military (with a large, mechanized army as its core) poised to attack South Korea with the goal of achieving unification under the communist regime in Pyongyang. (3) Maintaining a sizable military dominated by mechanized forces and self-propelled artillery in a high state of readiness requires a substantial amount of fuel for the field training of these forces. Feeding them also stands as a daunting task, especially since food (as well as fuel) has remained in drastically short supply in North Korea since the early 1990s. (4) Furthermore, in any invasion scenario, North Korea's military would have to flow south through two key narrow invasion corridors--the