Denying Flight: Strategic Options for Employing No-Fly Zones
Abstract
In recent years, discussions about external military intervention in local conflicts have often included consideration of "no-fly zones" (NFZs) as a policy option. In the past two decades, the U.S. Air Force has participated in three contingencies involving NFZs over Bosnia, Iraq, and Libya, and NFZ proposals have been proffered for some time as an option for intervention in the Syrian civil war that would avoid placing Western troops on the ground. This paper is intended as a preliminary look at NFZs as a strategic approach in such situations, with an emphasis on the forms they might take, their potential utility, and their probable limitations. It should be of interest to readers participating or interested in decision making about military intervention, as well as Air Force and other defense personnel who bear the responsibility of planning for and executing such operations. The research reported here was made possible by RAND concept formulation funds and was conducted within the Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA591169
Entities
People
- Karl P. Mueller
Organizations
- RAND Corporation