Facing the Future: A Doctrine for Air Control in Limited Conflicts

by Richard F. Walker

Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the United States has found itself involved in an increasing number of small scale interventions in support of national objectives, humanitarian efforts, and United Nation resolutions. Interventions have been manpower intensive and have increased the burden on our military forces. The dilemma the US finds itself in today is similar to the problem faced by Great Britain as she tried to maintain control of her empire after World War I. The solution developed by the British was the concept of "Air Control," intended to minimize both the number of ground troops required to maintain order in the colonies, and their associated expense. Airpower would not replace the ground units, but it would significantly reduce the required forces by increasing the mobility and firepower support available to ground garrisons. As the United States takes on increasing numbers of operations around the world, it too has increasingly shifted toward a policy of using airpower to maintain control while minimizing the footprint and cost of the operation.

82 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2012