Airpower and Its Effects in Warfare Essay

Since Airpower entered the scene as an element of military power in World War I, war is no longer what it used to be. Air power has introduced technology-enabled capabilities and its impact on warfare has been enormous. The impact of airpower technology on war has been wrongly perceived by some. When it was first used in World War I, the observation and surveillance capabilities of air power very rapidly negated the maneuver options of the adversary. As a result, the inability to carryout flanking maneuvers contributed to the now infamous ‘trench warfare’ and its appalling casualty rate changed the face of war forever. The character of war once again changed during World War II as air power was employed as the only means to attack the German forces and territories in the initial years of the war. The concept of defending land borders by the army of the nation was proven to be unsustainable very quickly. Air control as a prerequisite for the success of any other operation also became apparent during World War II. Ever since then, every military force in the world strives to obtain and maintain Air control to ensure that surface military operations can be undertaken without interference from the enemy. Airpower has become the norm of war today. The two main reasons of this change have been the preponderance of lethal power that the military of the developed nations have and the rapid response air power has enabled.1

Another change to the character of war brought about by airpower is its modus operandi. Airpower through technology based advances optimizes control of the air, strike, air mobility, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). This made airpower become an asymmetric asset for the military forces and an important element in prosecuting an irregular war. This technology was first adopted by Air power and Special Forces. The improvements in operational and tactical application of airpower changed the character and conduct of operations of military forces but did not change the nature of war. War remains eternally influenced by the political objectives of the nation as an instrument of national policy. The conduct of war on the other hand is influenced by many factors and it’s continually in a state of flux. Airpower is one of the factors that altered the conduct of war greatly.

Airpower is dynamic, it keeps evolving. Air power theorists have therefore devoted much time and attention to identify essential and enduring properties that characterize airpower. They have also identified what distinguishes airpower from other forms of military power. Though attributes like “speed,” are greatly associated with airpower, the early theorists were more concerned with two salient features that remain fundamental today and will possibly remain in the future. The first feature is the ability of airpower to bypass army and navy forces of the enemy and all types of terrain without any impediment which is not the case for land or naval forces. This enables operations across wide area and strikes targeted deep in the middle of a hostile territory without any surface battlefield. The fact that airpower is fluid and flexible and can be operated from a long range along with the fact that it does not occupy terrain as surface forces do makes it distinct from all other forms of military power . The second salient feature of airpower which is related to the first is the ability of air power to pass quickly at a selected time and…