Presents a regional, national, and global overview of air power; Written by a cadre of military specialists who offer global perspectives; Assesses its cultural as well as military influences

In the pantheon of air power spokesmen, Giulio Douhet holds center stage. His writings, more often cited than perhaps actually read, appear as excerpts and aphorisms in the writings of numerous other air power spokesmen, advocates-and critics. Though a highly controversial figure, the very controversy that surrounds him offers to us a testimonial of the value and depth of his work, and the need for airmen today to become familiar with his thought. The progressive development of air power to the point where, today, it is more correct to refer to aerospace power has not outdated the notions of Douhet in the slightest In fact, in many ways, the kinds of technological capabilities that we enjoy as a global air power provider attest to the breadth of his vision. Douhet, together with Hugh “Boom” Trenchard of Great Britain and William “Billy” Mitchell of the United States, is justly recognized as one of the three great spokesmen of the early air power era. This reprint is offered in the spirit of continuing the dialogue that Douhet himself so perceptively began with the first edition of this book, published in 1921. Readers may well find much that they disagree with in this book, but also much that is of enduring value. The vital necessity of Douhet’s central vision-that command of the air is all important in modern warfare-has been proven throughout the history of wars in this century, from the fighting over the Somme to the air war over Kuwait and Iraq.

Explores the rivalry between the armed services of the U.S. relating to the employment of tactical airpower during the Vietnam War. Not being an American, Horwood is able to put a fresh perspective on this complex issue. This study focuses on tactical airpower in S. Vietnam between 1961 and 1968. Horwood avoids a lengthy discussion of the air war over N. Vietnam, focusing instead on the combat operations in the South. He examines a number of issues which are relevant to the use of airpower in irregular warfare: command and control of airpower, the use of airpower at the tactical and the operational-strategic level of war, the role of helicopters, and different service understandings of the proper role of airpower in a counterinsurgency.

This study analyzes the need for changes to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) airpower doctrine to reflect current post-cold-war realities. NATO air doctrine does not yet reflect the actuality of today's operations, nor does it anticipate the probable future employment of NATO's airpower. Out-of-area operations and Partnership for Peace participation in NATO operations will have profound effects on combined doctrine, training, organizational structures, exercises, and employment of forces. NATO's tactical doctrine revision process served the alliance well during the cold war. But today, the international environment has drastically changed: Both the nature of the threat and the use of NATO airpower during conflict have changed. The current doctrinal revision process has proved too slow and cumbersome to provide adequate direction for air strategists during ongoing operations. There are many new doctrinal areas that must be thoroughly addressed so that NATO can chart a course for the future that in the end provides the best, most effective mix of forces.

This study reviews the historical accounts of the Royal Air Force (RAF) experiences in air policing during the interwar period, 1919-39. It analyzes the evidence from the view of operational doctrine and applies an in-depth look at the basic tenets of RAF air policing campaigns. It seeks to answer the question: To what doctrine did air commanders subscribe? It further analyzes the development of air policing tactical doctrine throughout the interwar period. It summarizes the conclusions and then offers this insight as it may apply to contemporary operations. This study seeks to provide an insightful view of the British experience and attempts to explain what has never been explained before, namely how air policing worked from the vantage point of those who conducted it. By tracing the RAF operations during the more significant air policing examples and looking at the indigenous response, it describes the actual operational mechanism at work.

Major Beale examines the role operations Deny Flight and Deliberate Force played in achieving a peaceful settlement to ethnic conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the early 1990s. To help the reader understand the role Deny Flight and Deliberate Force played in getting a peace agreement signed, the author explains the political and historical context of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. While Deny Flight was generally ineffective in its mission, Deliberate Force was, in the words of US Secretary of Defense William Perry, "the absolutely crucial step in bringing the warring parties to the negotiating table at Dayton, leading to the peace agreement."