- 300 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Airpower can achieve military objectives—sometimes, in some circumstances
It sounds simple: using airpower to intervene militarily in conflicts, thus minimizing the deaths of soldiers and civilians while achieving both tactical and strategic objectives. In reality, airpower alone sometimes does win battles, but the costs can be high and the long-term consequences may fall short of what decision-makers had in mind.
This book by a long-time U.S. intelligence analyst assesses the military operations and post-conflict outcomes in five cases since the mid-1990s in which the United States and/or its allies used airpower to “solve” military problems: Bosnia in 1995, Kosovo in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001, Lebanon in 2006, and Libya in 2011. In each of these cases, airpower helped achieve the immediate objective, but the long-term outcomes often diverged significantly from the original intent of policymakers. The author concludes that airpower sometimes can be effective when used to support indigenous ground forces, but decision-makers should carefully consider all the circumstances before sending planes, drones, or missiles aloft.
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Information
Table of contents
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Information
- Table of Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Selected Initialisms
- Introduction: The Appear of Airpower
- Bosnia, 1995āOperation Deliberate Force: The Value of Highly Capable Proxy Forces
- Kosovo, 1999āOperation Allied Force: The Challenges of Working with a Weak Proxy
- Afghanistan, 2001āOperation Enduring Freedom: Fighting with the Allies You've Got
- Israel/Lebanon, 2006āOperation Change of Direction 11: Trying to Win from the Air with No Proxy on the Ground
- Libya, 2011āOperations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector: The Value of Time and Outside Assistance for Improving a Proxy Force
- Conclusion: Common Themes and Implications
- Notes
- Index
- Back Cover