At the end of 2017, US combat airpower remained, as it has been since the end of the Cold War, unquestionably the strongest and most capable in the world. No other country can come close to matching it in terms of strength, numbers or capabilities, but it's also facing a broad range of challenges. Some of these are the same problems shared with many of its coalition partners, such as resource constraints in an international security environment changed by events following the occupation of the Crimea and the rise of ISIS. Others reflect US-specific issues, such as repeated failures to pass the budgets that include defence spending.
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