15. Geography and Strategy

2018 ◽  
pp. 255-272
Author(s):  
Daniel Moran
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Information Warfare ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Naval Warfare ◽  
Unconventional Warfare ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Maritime Strategy ◽  
Strategic Effects

This chapter examines how geographical setting shapes the conduct of war. It first provides an overview of the ways that physical geography influences the tactical identities of armed forces as well as their strategic effects, focusing on practices that lie at the heart of ‘joint’ warfare — in which land, sea, and air forces cooperate to their collective advantage. The discussion highlights the strategic possibilities presented by warfare in different physical environments — that is, land warfare, naval warfare, and air warfare. The chapter also considers the strengths and weaknesses of forces that fight on land and sea and in the air, unconventional warfare fought on land, the maritime strategy employed by navies, theory vs. practice of air power, and coercive bombing. Finally, it analyses the strategic potential of space war, the expansion of war into cyberspace, and the use of ‘cyber’ weapons in information warfare.

The Germans and Air Power at Dieppe: The Raid and its Lessons from the ‘Other Side of the Hill’

2021 ◽  
pp. 096834452199586
Author(s):  
James Shelley
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
The Other ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Coastal Defence ◽  
German Armed Forces ◽  
Popular Interest ◽  
The Hill

Despite the vast academic and popular interest in the Dieppe raid of 19 August 1942, there remains a curious oversight of the German side of the story. This contribution interrogates German sources in order to explore the Dieppe air battle and its consequences from the perspective of the German armed forces. The paper ultimately demonstrates that the Germans learnt much about the role of air power in coastal defence from their experiences at Dieppe, but that the implementation of those lessons was lacking.

Technology, Group Interest, and Norwegian Air Power, 1920–1940

Vulcan ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-129
Author(s):  
Frode Lindgjerdet
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
Interwar Period ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Naval Aviation ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Air War ◽  
Naval Warfare ◽  
Group Interest ◽  
Technology Group ◽  
Army Air Force

The Norwegian army and navy built their separate air arms around a few flimsy aircraft acquired from 1912. During the interwar period, the Army Air Force desired independence while its smaller naval counterpart fought tenaciously to remain part of the navy. The battle was carried out in the national military journals. Army aviation officers seduced by the air power theories of Giulio Douhet advocated independent operations; they maintained that challenges of air war and the skills required were independent of the surface over which it was fought. They also expected economic benefits from a unified service that could acquire fewer types of aircraft and unify technical services and education. Naval aviation officers maintained that naval air operations required knowledge of naval warfare, seamanship, tight naval integration, and specialized aircraft. What’s more, they resented the very idea that air power could win wars independently.

scholarly journals Strategy in the Contemporary World

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Western World ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Maritime Strategy ◽  
Strategic Studies

Strategy in the Contemporary World provides a critical overview of both enduring and contemporary issues that dominate strategy. This text explores key debates and alternative perspectives, considers key controversies and presents opposing arguments, helping readers to build critical thinking skills and reflect upon a wide range of perspectives. The new edition has been updated to incorporate the latest developments in the field of strategic studies. A new chapter on ‘The West and the Rest’ examines the limitations and problems strategic studies face when dealing with security challenges in the global South, stressing the importance of diversity in the field and the important contributions the non-Western world has made to international relations theories and concepts. Another chapter on ‘Geography and Strategy’ focuses on important developments in air power, maritime strategy and the rapid expansion of space and cyberwar.

scholarly journals THE STRUCTURING OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND DOCTRINE OF STATE DEFENSE IN FACING HYBRID WARFARE

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Novky Asmoro ◽  
Andi Sutomo ◽  
Teguh Haryono ◽  
Rizki Putri
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
White Paper ◽  
National Defense ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Hybrid Warfare ◽  
Unconventional Warfare ◽  
The Face ◽  
Hybrid Threats ◽  
Military Campaign

<div><p class="Els-history-head">Defense Doctrine and Strategy are designed to be able to synergize the performance of military and non-military components to protect and maintain Indonesia's national interests. The current doctrine of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Military Campaign is still dominant in dealing with military threats, even though based on the 2018 Indonesian Defense White Paper, the TNI must also be able to deal with hybrid threats. With its adaptive nature to changing threats, problems will arise if the military campaign doctrine has not accommodated the TNI's strategy and way of acting in dealing with hybrid threats. The defense doctrine must be able to accommodate the integration of military and non-military components is facing various types of warfare and threats such as military threats, non-military threats, and hybrid threats. Especially for the kind of hybrid threats namely cyber threats, terrorism, and other unconventional threats. Through an analytical descriptive analysis based on qualitative methods, it is hoped that the proper organization and doctrine will be disentangled in the face of this model war. Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) as the war organizations that prioritize a modern universal perspective are a necessity as one of the efforts offered. This needs to be supported by the doctrine of national defense which accurately defines how an effort against hybrid warfare can transform from conventional to unconventional warfare and the actors involved.  Military or TNI organizations that prioritize a modern universal perspective are supported by the doctrine of national defense which accurately maps how an effort against hybrid warfare could transform from conventional warfare to unconventional.</p></div>

The Objective of Air Warfare

2019 ◽  
pp. 46-86
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Surface Forces ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Military Forces ◽  
The Will ◽  
Principles Of War

In this chapter three lectures are presented. Muir Fairchild, in “Air Power and Air Warfare,” emphasizes the need for an air force in being at the outset of war. In “Principles of War,” Donald Wilson argues that instead of seeking out immutable principles, the study of war should focus on linking the desired ends to the available means. The true objective of war is not the defeat of the enemy’s armed forces in battle but the overall defeat of the enemy nation such that it sues for peace on favorable terms. Air power is best suited for achieving this objective through massed offensive action. Haywood Hansell, in “The Aim in War,” reasons that war is the means for a nation to achieve its objectives by overcoming the will of the enemy nation’s population. The airplane, unlike surface forces, can directly strike the nation’s will without having to first defeat the enemy’s military forces.

Maritime strategy of Pakistan: Development and future prospects

2021 ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Gleb G. Makarevich
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Maritime Security ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Maritime Strategy ◽  
Historical Methods

The Indian Ocean accounts half of the world&apos;s container shipments, two-thirds of oil product shipments and a third of bulk cargo. Pakistan as a significant regional power laying claims to a higher role in regional trade. But it demands effective naval forces capable of resisting both traditional (possible blockade of Pakistan&apos;s seaports if an armed conflict with India takes place) and non-traditional threats (piracy in the Strait of Hormuz). The article examines the evolution of Pakistan&apos;s naval strategy from the moment of gaining independence to the present day. The article provides a brief historical overview of the development of the country&apos;s naval strategy, analyzes the place of the Pakistani Navy in the armed forces, their role in the implementation of the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC), considers Pakistan&apos;s initiatives in the field of regional maritime security, as well as the processes of modernizing the fleet. The author believes that the role of the Navy in Pakistan&apos;s grand strategy will only increase due to both economic and regional security factors. The author claims that the role of the maritime strategy and the Pakistani Navy in the country&apos;s foreign policy will increase, which is explained by the need to ensure maritime security to implement the key economic project of the CPEC, as well to build a regional security system in the Indian Ocean resistant to all types of threats. The author invokes historical methods to analyze the evolution of Pakistani maritime strategy and hermeneutics to consider the current development of the strategy and its prospects.

scholarly journals PODER AEROESPACIAL E A ESTRATÉGIA NACIONAL DE DEFESA (END)

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (67) ◽  
pp. 83-97
Author(s):  
Ivan Muniz de Mesquita
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Defense Industry ◽  
Military Power ◽  
National Defense ◽  
Institutional Mission ◽  
Aerial Surveillance ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Defense Strategy ◽  
National Power

Este artigo tem por objetivo evidenciar os fundamentos do Poder Aeroespacial e identificar as principais atribuições da Força Aérea Brasileira estabelecidas na Estratégia Nacional de Defesa (END). O autor traz a lume aspectos doutrinários do Poder Aéreo, ou Poder Aeroespacial, bem como a sua importância como projeção do poder militar, uma das expressões do poder nacional, como preconizado na doutrina da Escola Superior de Guerra. A Estratégia Nacional de Defesa (END) é analisada em seus aspectos mais relevantes, destacando-se os seus três eixos estruturantes, que tratam, respectivamente, da: reorganização das Forças Armadas; da reorganização da indústria nacional de defesa e da composição dos efetivos das Forças Armadas. O autor evidencia as atribuições da Força Aérea Brasileira previstas no referido documento, que em síntese são as seguintes: prioridade da vigilância aérea; poder para assegurar a superioridade aérea local; capacidade para levar o combate a pontos específicos do território nacional; e domínio do potencial aeroestratégico. Assim, com vistas a dar cumprimento à sua missão institucional, o Comando da Aeronáutica elaborou o Plano Estratégico Militar da Aeronáutica (PEMAER), bem como o Projeto “Força Aérea 100”, o qual contém as diretrizes necessárias para orientar o futuro da Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) nas próximas décadas.   This article aims to highlight the fundamentals of Aerospace Power and to identify the main attributions of the Brazilian Air Force established in the National Defense Strategy (NDS). The author brings to light doctrinal aspects of Air Power, or Aerospace Power, as well as its importance as a projection of military power, one of the expressions of national power, as prescribed in the doctrine of the Brazilian War College. The National Defense Strategy is analyzed in its most relevant aspects, highlighting its three structuring point facets, which deal respectively with: reorganization of the Armed Forces; the reorganization of the national defense industry; and the composition of the Armed Forces personnel. The author highlights the attributions of the Brazilian Air Force provided in the aforementioned document, which in summary are the following: priority of aerial surveillance; power to ensure local air superiority; ability to take combat to specific points in the national territory; and controlling of the strategic aviation potential. Thus, in order to fulfill its institutional mission, the Aeronautics Command elaborated the Aeronautical Military Strategic Plan (PEMAER- acronym in Portuguese), as well as the “Air Force 100” Project, which contains the necessary plans to guide the future of the Air Force (FAB) in the coming decades. Este artículo tiene por objetivo evidenciar los fundamentos del Poder Aeroespacial e identificar las principales atribuciones de la Fuerza Aérea Brasileña establecidas en la Estrategia Nacional de Defensa (END). El autor trae a la luz aspectos doctrinarios del Poder Aéreo, el Poder Aeroespacial, así como su importancia como proyección del poder militar, una de las expresiones del poder nacional, como preconizado en la doctrina de la Escuela Superior de Guerra. La Estrategia Nacional de Defensa (END) se analiza en sus aspectos más relevantes, destacándose sus tres ejes estructurantes, que tratan, respectivamente, de la: reorganización de las Fuerzas Armadas; de la Reorganización de la industria nacional de defensa y de la composición de los efectivos de las Fuerzas Armadas. El autor evidencia las atribuciones de la Fuerza Aérea Brasileña previstas en dicho documento, que en síntesis son las siguientes: prioridad de la vigilancia aérea; poder para asegurar la superioridad aérea local; capacidad para llevar el combate a puntos específicos del territorio nacional; dominio del potencial aeroespacial. El Comando de la Aeronáutica elaboró el Plan Estratégico Militar de la Aeronáutica (PEMAER), así como el Proyecto “Fuerza Aérea 100”, que contiene las directrices necesarias para orientar el futuro de la Fuerza Aérea Brasileña (FAB) en las próximas décadas.    

scholarly journals Airpower in Counterinsurgency: Analysis of the Nigerian Air Force’s Response to The Boko Haram Insurgency in the Northeast

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 302-310
Author(s):  
DR. JOHN ANYABE ADAMS ◽  
EFEFIONG ASUQUO EDET ◽  
MICHAEL R. ITAM
Keyword(s):  
Air Force ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Joint Task

This paper examined the role of airpower in counterinsurgency with particular focus on analyzing the Nigerian Air Force’s response to the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east. The paper adopted the documentary method and sourced data from mainly secondary sources. The Nigeria Air Force ’s operations against the insurgent group commenced in 2010, as part of the armed forces operations within the purview of the Joint Task Force. It was found out that in spite of the significant contribution made by the Nigeria Air Force , there still are challenges to Nigeria Air Force ’s counterinsurgency efforts. Firstly, Nigeria Air Force faces logistical problems such as a dearth of spare parts, shortage of precision-guided ammunition, and inadequate trained personnel that can operate and maintain sophisticated war weapons. Secondly, there is a paucity of systems to initiate and maintain a systematic kill-chain that will encompass searching for the adversary, maintaining intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance presence over them, and subduing them and obtaining data for purposes of analysis. It was recommended, among others that for the Nigeria Air Force to be more effective in the northeast operations, there should be increased spending on purchasing more modern platforms and weaponry that are pliable in contemporary air power considerations.  

Strategic Air Power

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Gerald Hughes
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
World War I ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
The United States ◽  
World War ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Aerial Platforms ◽  
Terror Bombing

Strategic air power is one of the means by which a military strategy employs aerial platforms to bypass the battlefield to achieve decisive political results in conflict. Most obviously, this has involved the coercion of an enemy nation-state by seeking to destroy its economic ability to wage war (as opposed to eliminating its armed forces). In Clauzwitzian terms, this represents a fundamental shift in identifying the enemy’s “center of gravity.” Debates over whether air power can achieve strategic goals date from the very first applications of it. The use of strategic air power requires systematic organization (e.g., RAF Bomber Command; the US Strategic Air Command) and, in addition to the use of strategic bomber aircraft, can be used in conjunction with missiles or tactical aircraft against targets selected to diminish the war-making capacity of the enemy. One of the aims for using strategic air power is enemy demoralization—that is, the racking up of punishment to the extent that the will of the enemy to resist is broken. The theory of strategic heavy bombing began to be developed during the aftermath of World War I. By the time of World War II, opponents of strategic air power made frequent reference to “terror bombing” as shorthand for its use. Of course, this term is dismissed by proponents of the use of strategic air power for the manner in which it delineates between other aspects of war (often equally unpleasant) and the targeting of civilians/war-making capacity. The use of strategic air power has been limited since World War II for a number of reasons. Not least among these is the relative scarcity of major wars as well as the inability of the vast majority of modern nation-states to devote sufficient resources to seek any decision in conflict via strategic air power. The United States is a notable exception here and it employed strategic air power in Vietnam in 1972, against Iraq in 1991 and 2003, and in Kosovo in 1999.

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