A report submitted to Congress in 2025 warns of the critical state of US Air Force bases, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, where vital networks are becoming a major strategic vulnerability.
Summary
A report submitted to the US Congress in 2025 highlights a long-underestimated reality: nearly half of the US Air Force’s infrastructure is classified as moderate or high risk. In the Indo-Pacific region, a key area of strategic competition with China, the situation is even more worrying. More than 70% of critical networks—electricity, water, fuel—are at high risk of failure. This fragility is not only technical. It directly affects operational availability, projection capacity, and resilience to climate hazards and hostile actions. Key air bases, runways, fuel depots, and aging underground networks form a hollow infrastructure, capable of accommodating advanced aircraft but unable to guarantee their sustained support in the event of a prolonged crisis. The gap between fleet modernization and the state of the bases is becoming a major factor in strategic vulnerability.
The observation of a military real estate portfolio in advanced disrepair
The 2025 report submitted to Congress by the Department of the Air Force provides a blunt assessment. Approximately 48% of USAF infrastructure is considered to be in “degraded” or “high-risk” condition. This represents tens of thousands of buildings, hangars, runways, distribution networks, and technical facilities. The average age of this infrastructure exceeds 60 years, even though it was designed for an initial lifespan of 25 to 40 years.
This aging is not uniform. US bases on the mainland suffer mainly from a chronic lack of investment. In forward operating areas, the situation is more critical. Electrical, water, and fuel networks often rely on old underground systems that are difficult to inspect and costly to replace. Corrective maintenance has gradually replaced preventive maintenance, creating a cycle of continuous deterioration.
The particular strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific
In the Indo-Pacific region, dependence on local infrastructure is structural. U.S. bases there are far apart, often insular, and heavily used. According to the report, more than 70% of essential service networks are classified as high risk for failure.
In Guam, Okinawa, or Diego Garcia, a prolonged power outage can immobilize an entire base. Backup power generation systems are sometimes undersized. Fuel stocks, which are essential for air projection, rely on pipelines that are vulnerable to leaks, corrosion, and physical damage. In a maritime environment, salinity accelerates the degradation of materials, increasing maintenance costs.
Vulnerability to climate hazards
Climate change acts as an immediate aggravating factor. Tropical storms, floods, heat waves, and rising sea levels directly affect coastal bases. In 2023 and 2024, several Pacific facilities experienced service interruptions related to extreme weather events.
Runways can be submerged. Electrical substations are exposed. Drinking water networks become unstable. A modern air base cannot function without a continuous power supply. Every hour of interruption reduces flight generation and degrades operational responsiveness.
The risk of sabotage and hybrid actions
Beyond the climate, these vulnerabilities are an ideal target for hybrid actions. Sabotaging an electrical grid, disrupting fuel supplies, or contaminating a water system is easier than neutralizing protected aircraft. Underground networks are difficult to monitor continuously.
In a high-intensity conflict scenario, targeted attacks on infrastructure could paralyze a base without a single aircraft being destroyed. This logic is now integrated into access denial doctrines. Air superiority depends as much on logistics as on aircraft performance.
The paradox of bases hosting latest-generation aircraft
The US Air Force is investing heavily in state-of-the-art fleets. F-35As, B-21 Raiders, and future collaborative drones require reliable, stable, and secure infrastructure. However, ultra-modern air-conditioned hangars coexist with obsolete electrical networks.
This discrepancy creates an operational paradox. The aircraft are ready. The crews are trained. But the base can become unavailable in a matter of hours. The dependence on backup diesel generators illustrates this fragility. These temporary solutions are not designed to sustain an intense operational pace over time.
Budget constraints and infrastructure debt
The main cause is budgetary. According to official estimates, the USAF’s infrastructure debt exceeds $130 billion. The funds allocated to modernization cover barely 60% of the identified annual needs. The rest is carried over, year after year.
Decisions favor politically visible weapons programs. Infrastructure, which receives less media coverage, is chronically postponed. This choice has a strategic cost. Every dollar not invested today translates into higher expenses tomorrow, with no guarantee of operational continuity.
Direct consequences on operational availability
Failing infrastructure reduces squadron availability. Repeated power outages disrupt maintenance. Water restrictions affect daily operations. Unstable fuel networks limit the ability to ramp up quickly.
On a theater scale such as the Indo-Pacific, these constraints add up. They reduce the credibility of the deterrence posture. The ability to absorb an initial shock becomes uncertain, even without a direct attack on air assets.
Possible ways to restore resilience
The Department of the Air Force has identified several areas of focus. Energy decentralization via autonomous microgrids is a priority. The integration of local renewable sources, coupled with storage systems, aims to reduce dependence on central networks.
The physical reinforcement of critical networks and their secure burial are also being considered. Finally, an “agile basing” approach seeks to distribute capabilities across several secondary sites, which are less vulnerable than a single base concentrating all resources.
A question of strategic credibility
The state of the bases is no longer a secondary technical issue. It determines the credibility of the US military. A modern air force relies on solid foundations. Without resilient infrastructure, technological superiority becomes theoretical.
The question posed by the 2025 report is simple. Can the United States continue to project its air power with weakened bases? The answer will depend less on aircraft performance than on the ability to finally address this hollow, discreet but decisive infrastructure.
Sources
Department of the Air Force, Infrastructure Investment Strategy Report to Congress, 2025
U.S. Government Accountability Office, Military Infrastructure Readiness Assessments
Pacific Air Forces, Installation Resilience and Utilities Risk Briefings
Congressional Budget Office, Defense Infrastructure Funding Analyses
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