The Kestrel Papers is a compilation of essays written by a number of young military professionals who have endeavoured to study air power in detail and contemplate its further progress into the 21st century. It is important for professionals to share ideas and concepts and to debate the challenges to the application of air power in support of the broader national security objectives. The authors of the ten essays have provided insights into the discipline of air power and debated its way forward in a turbulent world. This, the first issue of The Kestrel Papers, a biennial series, looks at the operational developments of air power over the century of its application. The contributing authors clearly highlight both the strengths and limitations of projecting military power through the air domain over the last 100 years. Moreover, they stress that while air power is a means to an end, it is never an end unto itself.
