Moseley announces strategic road map

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley announced a strategic long-term weapons system plan to meet evolving threats to the United States.

The Air Force's weapon system road map is part of planning efforts by senior military officials to meet the United States' security needs and next-generation requirements to fight future wars, the Air Force reported.

"Our nation's competitors know that our Air Force provides America its decisive advantage," Moseley said in a statement. "We need to prepare today for tomorrow's challenges. We need one vector to best meet the war fighting requirements of our nation."

Officials say the road map is an efficient and flexible force structure that despite an overall smaller inventory of aircrafts does include advanced weapon systems and new organizational arrangements for active-duty and reserve soldiers among other initiatives.

"We're simply promising a look at these systems and installations as our planning continues," Moseley said. "This is the Air Force's planning process for the future, for providing the required force structure that will give our nation capability for vigilance, reach and power across the globe, to reassure allies, to deter, dissuade and defeat adversaries and to protect the homeland."

Moseley said the plans do not include the controversial basing of weapon systems on foreign soil.