Exploiting the Psychological Effects of Airpower; A Guide for the Operational Commander.

Abstract

This paper offers a historical assessment of the psychological effects of air operations and offers recommendations for future commanders and air operations planners on how to exploit airpower's psychological effects at the operational level of war. A discussion of six combat stressors endemic to the battlefield establishes the vulnerability of deployed forces to psychological factors. An analysis of air operations in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm establishes that attention to targeting, timing, and integration with PSYOP can enhance airpower's ability to exploit those forces' psychological vulnerabilities. Possible techniques for assessing the psychological success of air operations are offered as well. The report concludes with recommendations on how best to include exploitation of airpower's psychological effects into a robust air operations plan.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 05, 1999
Accession Number
ADA363436

Entities

People

  • Jon K. Huss

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Armored Vehicles
  • Counterair Operations
  • Force Protection
  • Human Intelligence
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Precision-Guided Munitions
  • Psychological Operations
  • Security
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.