So now we can add “directly capturing a sovereign leader” to the list of crap the US has done. So what do you think will actually be “the straw that broke the camels back” for world leaders to actually do something? Think it’ll be significant or something mundane?
also the worlds largest air force is the US air force. the second largest is the US army’s air force iirc
I seem to remember reading that the US navy comes in second (which makes sense considering that a single carrier has a larger air wing than most countries air forces) but the point still stands.
Remove the bases in europe and you can only project power with as many you can pile up on an aircraft carrier.
B-2 bombers have a huge range of 11,000 km, that’s extended further by tanker aircraft. They can strike any target in the world. They are better with a fighter escort though, that don’t have that range, and only a single pilot, shortening possible mission time.
The US also has bases around the world outside of Europe. These could be shifted elsewhere, depending on need. The American military is a phenomenal logistics machine. They can fly and ship immense amounts of materiel and can construct huge bases quickly.
There are several middle eastern and Asian countries that host large American bases. The big bases built in Europe, especially Germany act as a hub for the ones in Africa and the Middle East. A place for supplies, hospitals, training, etc. in a safe and nice place.
China is still a fair bit away from having that kind of power projection.