In Search of the Missing Link: Relating Destruction to Outcome In Airpower Application
Abstract
Targeting has been the central problem of air strategy since the dawn of modern airpower. One of the most difficult challenges for airpower strategists has been how to relate the physical or functional destruction of targets to attainment of political and military objectives. This paper examines the fundamental problem of relating destruction inflicted on a target system to the desired outcome and presents the Destruction-Outcome Linkage Model to serve as a framework for analysis of past air campaigns. This model links destruction of the pieces of a target system to the desired outcome. Using the Destruction-Outcome Linkage Model as a framework for analysis, this paper traces how airpower strategists have conceptualized the linkage, applied it to past air campaigns and the extent to which their conception was accurate based on the results achieved. The goal is to determine how effectively air strategists have linked destruction to outcome and draw conclusions about the Air Force's ability to make such linkages in the future. To sufficiently narrow the scope of the paper, a single target system will be used to illustrate this analysis-the transportation system. The conclusion of this paper is that while our ability to inflict destruction with conventional airpower has increased by several orders of magnitude over the past 50 years, the thinking behind how the destruction is linked to the desired outcome has increased only marginally. The foundation of airpower theory and the basis for targeting, still relies very heavily on the Douhetan notion of breaking the enemy's will with attacks on the vital centers. The concept of what constitutes a vital center has changed over the years, but the idea that destroying a small set of targets in the enemy's homeland is the key to coercive success seems to dominate airpower targeting philosophy. Locating the targets that will have the greatest coercive effect on the adversary is exactly what airpower strategists should be doi7
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA425665
Entities
People
- Kevin E. Williams
Organizations
- Air University