Strategic Air Attack in Military Operations Other Than War Strikes and Raids
Abstract
The Central issue of this paper is Strategic Air Attack in Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) strikes and raids, against Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) threats, to date, Strategic Air Attack has seldom been used outside of war, but the Twin Threats of Terrorism and WMD have created entirely new challenges for the United States, and Strategic Air Attack represents an important tool against these challenges. Strategic Air Attack has been used before in MOOTW in operational El Dorado Canyon and Operation Babylon. Operation El Dorado Canyon represents a responsive action against Terrorism, while operation Babylon represents a preemptive action against a WMD capability. This paper analyzes both of these operations to capture the circumstances and conditions where strategic air attack in MOOTW has succeeded. This paper also discusses the use of Force in General, along with theory behind Strategic Air Attack, to provide some required background. It therefore combines theory (Use of Force, Strategic Attack in General) and experience (Operations El Dorado Canyon and Babylon) to arrive at the conclusions and recommendations. Fundamentally, the United States must be prepared to act, both in a responsive way, and a preemptive way, against the threats of WMD and Terrorism. Strategic Air Attack, in the form of a MOOTW Raid or Strike, can be one of the instruments of choice.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 10, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA401111
Entities
People
- Phillip R. Pratzner Jr.
Organizations
- Marine Corps University