The Art of Air Power

by Sanu Kainikara

Two thousand years ago, Chinese warrior-philosopher Sun Tzu compiled his classic book popularly known as The Art of War to better understand how organisations can (or should) operate in times of conflict. Now, a modern writer on strategy has re-interpreted the great Master’s treatise, to redefine elements of thinking relevant to a world where military strategy has to take into account an aerial dimension—something that was not even a dream when Sun Tzu was writing. In The Art of Air Power, Sanu Kainikara, a former Indian Air Force fighter pilot who has been working as an air strategist for the RAAF for the past five years, re-examines Sun Tzu’s terse, often aphoristic statements. Using a large number of currently available translations, commentaries and reviews, he has made a detailed study of the old paradigms in a contemporary context, while considering the changed nature of security and conflict in the 21st century. Sun Tzu’s thinking is only the starting point for Dr Kainikara’s text, which seeks to build on universal truths about the application of military power that transcend time and operating dimensions. Dr Kainikara also updates the old philosophy—of achieving invincibility on the battlefield, triumph without physical battle, and unassailable strength of the nation, through observation, calculation and a clear understanding of politics, psychology and doctrine of conflict—all in a way aimed to be more readily comprehensible to readers with an interest in military strategy.

462 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Trav · Rating 2 out of 5]

Applying the pithy musings of an ancient Chinese warrior-philosopher to the modern air campaigning is an impressive undertaking, Dr. Kainikara's efforts are exceptional but not without their flaws.

The book was extremely dense and, at times, exceedingly difficult to read. This is by no means the fault of the author, but reflect the challenges faced in seeking to find the metaphorical relevance of Sun Tzu's ostensibly literal single sentence stanza's. At times, Kainikara does this well (his discussions of the various terrrains and grounds being a fine examples. At others the stretching exceeds the believability of the metaphor, the explanation of five ways to attack by fire seemed to veer decidedly away from the original text in order to have something useful to say.

One of the main strengths of the book is the diverse range of vignettes drawn on by Kainikara. In particular, the author's ability to draw on little known (by me at least) examples of Indian military operations to support the application of the stanzas to air power means that the reader cannot help but come away from the book more enlightened about the application of air power.

Overall, despite the sometimes tenuous metaphorical leaps, the books was well wroth reading. If nothing else, it forces the reader to reconsider the meaning and significance of the original text, and perhaps encourages the pursuit of different translations. But to truly get the full benefit of the book it must be approached piecemeal, with the interpretations challenged by the reader at every turn.