OA
"Think of logistics" is also an extremely dangerous statement for anyone advocating land-based air outside the NATO area. If by the reference to supporting airfields you're referring to the CLS policy for JCA you may have a point. However, it's worth remembering that a CLS policy can be changed, a 100% dependence on the goodwill of the nation hosting your EAW cannot - particularly when "potentially" coupled to a long land route from a port to the airbase of choice, which may or may not be vulnerable to a fairly extensive threat spectrum.
Just running a twenty-sortie per day profile requires north of 100 tonnes of F34 per day at the base, excluding that needed for the GSE, MT pool etc. Thats over 5 big road tankers per day, every day, just to run that profile. Plus the wagons bringing the water (and their fuel) and the vittles (and their fuel) and the stuff that goes bang (and their fuel) and the workshops and spares (and their fuel) and the FPE (and their fuel).
Personally, I'd be a bit happier with organic workshops, galleys, RO plants, stores, self-defence and fuel bunkers. None of which can be got at (easily) unless you're in a full spectrum threat environment with tight RoE..........