The Counterair Companion: A Short Guide to Air Superiority for Joint Force Commanders,

Abstract

The early proponents of air power believed that with control of the air, airmen would make surface operations impossible and irrelevant. In the years since they made these predictions, aircraft have gained capabilities far beyond those predicted by early advocates. However, airmen are still searching for a strategy that will guarantee the results their predecessors promised. Instead of replacing surface forces, air power has become their indispensable partner. Air power contributes to the security, mobility, and firepower of joint forces, but its primary contribution may be air superiority. For the last 40 years, United States military forces have maintained almost total control of the air. Air supremacy does not itself destroy or defeat the bulk of enemy forces, but it allows conditions in which joint military forces may do so by providing freedom of action and strategic flexibility. l role in American joint operations. (RWJ)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA292984

Entities

People

  • James M. Holmes

Organizations

  • Air University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Air Superiority Fighters
  • Airframes
  • Anti-Radiation Missiles
  • Attrition
  • Combat Areas
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Control Systems
  • Counterair Operations
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Geography
  • Military Organizations
  • Warfare
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.