Essence Of Aerospace Power

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Essence Of Aerospace Power
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Overview

• I. Essence of Aerospace Power
• A. Definition
• II. Key Attributes
• A. Only Air and Space Power
• B. Concentration of Great Power
• C. Any Spot on the Globe
• D. Quickly
• III. Future Considerations

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Essence of Aerospace Power

• Only air and space forces can concentrate great
  power quickly over any spot on the globe.
• -Prof. Drew

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Essence of Aerospace Power
The collection of unique military capabilities
that control and exploit the air and space medium
to gain a powerful advantage in time, mass,
position, and awareness in pursuit of national
security interests. - Gen Fogleman former
Chief of Staff
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Essence of Aerospace Power

• Only air and space forces can concentrate great
  power quickly over any spot on the globe.
• Elevation is the unique capability aerospace
  power brings to the fight!

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ADVANTAGES OF ELEVATION

• PERSPECTIVE
• Broader view
• SPEED
• Allows travel as mission sees fit
• RANGE
• No surface obstacles
• MANEUVERABILTY
• Allows movement as mission sees fit

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Proposition One

• Whoever controls the air controls the surface
• 1st Air Force role (aerospace control)
• protects troops and vital centers
• Pearl Harbor, 2330 killed, 394/394 aircraft
• larger concept than just the battlefield
• extends to maritime operations

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• No state has lost a war while it maintained air
  superiority since the German attack on Poland in
  1939.

10 Propositions RegardingAirpower
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Essence of Aerospace Power

• Only air and space forces can concentrate great
  power quickly over any spot on the globe.

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Types of Power

• Munitions
• nuclear, conventional, smart, dumb, lethal...
• Humanitarian
• food, medicine, water...
• Presence
• Chief of Staff of the Air Force quote

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...having a force that is fully capable of
utilizing the unique aspects of air and space
power - range, speed, flexibility and precision
to their fullest capacity. Not where we live, but
where we are needed. Not when we can, but when we
must.
- Gen Ryan
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Proposition 3

• Airpower is primarily an offensive weapon
• Pearl Harbor
• 1967 Arab-Israeli War
• Desert Storm

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War, once declared, must be waged offensively,
aggressively. The enemy must not be fended off,
but smitten down.
Alfred T. Mahan
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• Impossible to stop completely
• Schweinfurt raid of 1943
• Defensive use of airpower requires more forces
  than the attacker!

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Essence of Aerospace Power

• Only air and space forces can concentrate great
  power quickly over any spot on the globe.

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Speed

• Far greater magnitude than surface forces
• B1-B around the world record
• Speed time relationship

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PROPOSITION FIVE

• Air Power produces physical psychological
  shock by dominating the 4th dimension -- time.

• Physical Shock through fire power
• B-52 - can deliver 19 tons of explosives
• F-15E - 4 tons on a large house

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PROPOSITION FIVE

• Air Power produces physical psychological
  shock by dominating the 4th dimension -- time.

• Psychological shock through speed
• Army advances - 3 miles per day
• Surprise, flexibility, confusion disorientation

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Essence of Aerospace Power

• Only air and space forces can concentrate great
  power quickly over any spot on the globe--any
  target.

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Proposition Four

• Air power can target against almost anything.
• Sources of enemy power
• Wardens COG
• Sources of transmitting power
• Manifestations of power

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Proposition Two

• Airpower is an inherently strategic force.
• Attack vital centers
• Naval example
• Can be lethal and nonlethal

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Basically, airpower delivers strategic
information some of it is negative, like bombs,
some of it is positive, like food
Col John Warden
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Proposition Two (cont)

• Technology factor (Precision vs. Mass)
• WWII
• 4500 bombers, dropping 9000 tons of bombs, to
  destroy target the size of a house (99
  probability)
• Vietnam
• 95 aircraft dropping 190 tons of bombs to
  destroy house
• Desert Storm
• One aircraft, one bomb!

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Proposition Two (cont)

• Target selection
• Intelligence
• BDA

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Future Considerations

• International Politics
• Future volatile
• We must be able to fill certain needs!

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We must be able to.....

• ...fight across the spectrum of conflict
• ...shift from one foe to another
• ...operate from the CONUS
• ...react quickly
• ...be flexible fast, anywhere, in any
  contingency, with lightning speed.

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Points to Remember....

• I. Essence of Aerospace Power
• II. Key Attributes
• Only air and space power
• Concentration of great power
• Quickly
• Any spot on the globe

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ESSENCE OF AEROSPACE POWER
In Desert Stormwe had air dominance. That
air dominance allowed our strike aircraft to
devastate the enemy air forces and at the same
time, allowed our ground forces to operate
without any air interdiction. Desert Storm
taught us something about air dominance. We had
it, we liked, and were going to keep
it Former SECDEF William Perry