Aerial Coercion: Why Did It Fail Against Saddam and Succeed Against Slobodan
Abstract
As a result of air power played in Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force, a new term, aerial coercion has entered the military lexicon. Aerial coercion involves a major air operation to paralyze or decapitate an adversary using strikes against strategic targets like national level command and control sites, punish him by striking the state's economic infrastructure, or to deny his military strategy through strikes on operational targets like fielded forces. Its purpose is compelling an adversary to accept your demands. As our national leadership turns increasingly to aerospace power as the preferred, low-risk military instrument of choice, they must understand what it can and cannot accomplish. In theory, a major air operation attacking the sat targets should compel any enemy. Hut why did it fail against Saddam Hussein and succeed against Slobodan Milosevic? Although dictators, both leaders operated in fundamentally different political and cultural settings. These differences left Saddam's Ba'athist police state largely invulnerable to coercion and Milosevic's "democratic-authoritarian" regime far more vulnerable; They also provide a rough gauge for planners and analysts to fudge the potential efficacy of aerial coercion against a particular state or regime.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 05, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA389661
Entities
People
- Robert Campbell
Organizations
- Naval War College