Penetrating Air Tanker? Offensive warfare concepts warping our requirements?

Thanks to Filippo for the link!

via Defense News.

As enemy air defenses improve, the Air Force may need a penetrating aerial refueling tanker that can move forward in conjunction with stealthy fifth-generation aircraft like the F-22 and F-35, Air Mobility Command head Gen. Carlton Everhart told reporters Tuesday.
A study, slated to begin this year, will help the service decide the path forward, but Everhart said officials likely will skip past a KC-Y competition, either folding in modifications to the KC-46A or directly transitioning to the KC-Z.
“Once that study is done, then we’ll start programming, and we’re looking around the 2030 to 2035 area in the budget where it gains us the opportunity to be able to procure a new follow-on tanker,” he said during a round-table discussion at the Air Force Association conference. 

This is crazy on a plate!  Is the idea of offensive warfare warping our procurement across the board?  Are we biasing all of our requirements to operating in the enemy's back yard?

In my mind that adds an additional layer of complexity that actually makes no sense.

Consider this.

The Neo-Cons in the US always talk about supporting our allies.  Its used as the rationale behind stationing troops all over the globe.  Its the reason why we spend 10 times more on defense than our allies and potential enemies.

We defend those that should defend themselves.

But putting that to the side for a minute.  Do you get the disconnect?  If we're defending allies then we're building the wrong kind of air force.  We should be placing a premium on defensive fighters, anti-air systems etc.  Our Army should totally embrace tanks that can fight hull down and defeat the attacking enemy.

Instead, everywhere we look we're seeing our services biased toward offensive action.  Maybe I'm biased but the Navy patrols the commerce lanes and the Marine Corps has traditionally acted as an intervention force so they can be excused from this diatribe but the Air Force is going hog wild on offensive operations.  WHY?