Air forces have long demonstrated warfighting effectiveness through the lethal application of air power in the battlefield. This success has tended to make traditional air forces operationally focused—to the detriment of their strategic effectiveness. In combination with their resource-intensive nature, this lack of growth impedes the development of air forces into truly strategic instruments of national security.
In this book the author analyses the ‘outlay’ necessary to maintain a balanced full spectrum air force, explains the status of such air forces in the broader security equation, and examines the challenges they face. The author emphasises the necessity for small air forces to be balanced and advocates their future significance by developing the competency to create strategic effects and influence the national security framework.
A close analysis of this book will greatly enhance the professional mastery of all airmen and is considered a primary source of information for the study of the development of air forces.