TENETS OF AIRPOWER

1. Air power has become the prime military tool for any political leadership to respond and apply for resolution of politico-military contests. The primacy of air power amongst other forms of military capability stands out owing to its unique characteristics of speed and destructive power delivered in a three-dimensional reach, enabling mission achievement with the least application of force. A strong air power equips the politico-military leadership with the least-risk option of achieving its objectives, without actually going through a wider war. It is the most powerful means to show national resolve, without unnecessary collateral destruction. Nations that invest in purposeful development of their air power are thus the most ready to deter enemy's intent to aggress effectively, as well as enjoy considerable liberty of action to pursue their own interests with initiative. 2. Air power possesses specific characteristics which are quite distinct from those of land power and sea power. These characteristics fall essentially into three categories:(a) Positive characteristics or strengths; these can be further divided into:(i) (ii) (b) Primary Strengths Secondary Strengths

Negative characteristics or limitations.

(c) Conditional characteristics, which can be either strengths or limitations depending on the nature of the existing conditions. Primary strengths. 3. Air power has the unique ability to exploit the third dimension above the surface of the Sea/Earth. As a result, air vehicles are much faster and have greater reach than naval ships or land vehicles. primary strengths of air power:Thus, height, speed and reach are the

(a) Height. The ability of aircraft to operate at different heights gives them not only speed and reach, but also the ability to observe and dominate activities on the surface and below the sea. (b) Speed. The inherent advantage of speed ensures that air elements are the first to reach an area of interest/conflict. Air forces are also usually the only means for speedy deployment of the much needed surface forces to the desired areas. In comparison with the other forces, air power reaches the farthest in lesser time, enabling it to engage the enemy in depth. At the tactical level, the speed of aircraft reduces the time they are exposed to hostile fire and thus can help to increase their survivability in battle. At the higher levels of war, it allows military power to be projected more rapidly, missions to be completed in shorter times and a greater number of tasks to be undertaken within a given period. At all levels of war, speed facilitates surprise.

(c) Reach. Aircraft can reach out to project military power over greater distances in any direction; unhindered by surface features such as mountain barriers or water expanses. This range can be further increased manifold by employing force multipliers in the shape of air-to-air refuellers. Seventy per cent of the world is covered by water, thirty per cent by land and one hundred per cent by air. Thus, air power possesses unrivalled reach. Secondary Strengths 4. The primary air power characteristics of height, speed and reach act together synergistically to produce additional strengths; given as follows:(a) Responsiveness. The most advantageous characteristic of air power for any national leadership lies in its responsiveness i.e. its ability to reach an area of interest quickly and exert the desired influence optimally. Speed and reach makes air power uniquely responsiveness. (i) Speed. The speed of response with which air power can act, in a situation demanding application of force, is unique to the air forces. Speed enables the airpower to concentrate firepower in support of other forces and supplement the effects with rapid employment. Speed gives airpower the inherent advantage of quick change of roles and points of its application in a military campaign; attributes unmatched by either of the other Services; where virtually the direction and mass of an offensive can be changed through a radio call. (ii) Reach. Unaffected by the physical barriers of topography (ground friction) air power can reach great distances at high speeds to engage assigned targets and project force. The ability to reach-out and be responsive anywhere, round the clock and round the globe; is a very special attribute of air forces. The reach of airpower has reduced the relative security of enemys deeper centres of gravity, and made these CsG vulnerable to the threat of engagement by the adversary's air power. (b) Lethality. The potency of air power's effectiveness can be judged through its lethality. In todays military affairs all efforts are made to achieve the larger and maximum results from minimal application of force. This has resulted from revolutionary developments in technology. Enhanced lethality, besides being a classic example of economy of effort, is also a force multiplier since it permits a force to do more with less. Lethality by an air force is achieved through precision, penetration and firepower. A good example, illustrating this important attribute, is of a loaded B-52 bomber, which incorporates reach, good weapon carrying potential and precision attack capability. Such a capacity for firepower enables assured penetration of routine defences, and can inflict punitive destruction on an adversary.

(i) Precision. Air power is unique in its ability to absorb and apply the latest innovations in technology. Today a single bomb or missile can achieve the same effect that needed scores of aircraft and tons of bombs to achieve in World War II. Precision has changed the meaning of mass in combat; now no more does it mean a larger assembly of forces or firepower, but the effectiveness of the weapons released, with the resultant value of the shock it generates for the loss of a centre of gravity, or a critical asset. Precision attack capability requires lesser application of force for a given mission, thus sparing effort for other usage. Additionally, combat attrition is also lower because fewer aircraft are exposed to the high threat environment. Precision is, therefore, a critical force multiplier. The effort so spared now enables an operational commander to employ his forces on a wider front, in depth, or in parallel operations for the benefit of the overall war effort. Minimal application of air power thus can provide disproportionate advantages, sometimes of strategic importance, enabling mission achievement in a highly cost-effective manner. (ii) Penetration. Air power components have the ability to circumvent obstacles and penetrate deep into enemy territory. Spacebased surveillance systems are relatively safe, and can monitor the entire surface of the globe virtually unhindered. Air power is now a part of manoeuvre in all tiers of warfare (tactical, operational and strategic). Deep penetration can therefore be combined with the factor of manoeuvre to add to the overall combat power of land and sea forces. Additionally, the main attributes of air power like speed and reach, combined with accurate information, give air power the ability to penetrate deep into enemy territory and deliver the weapons decisively. (iii) Firepower. Firepower with the manoeuvre is the principal belief of all significant offensive application of force. Similarly, concentration of defensive forces also needs concerted firepower to thwart an enemy's offensive. Air power helps unite this punch through synergistic application of its integral firepower in support of surface forces in any of the above situations. The ability to deliver desired payloads with precision, without coming in physical contact with the target, differentiates airborne firepower from other means. Firepower, aided by precise application, replaces the need for mass and obviates the traditional dependence on numbers for achieving the desired objective. Neutralization of a crucial objective/CG, through minimal application of airborne firepower, can provide critical momentum to offensive forces.

(c) Flexibility. Air vehicles are flexible and versatile weapon systems that can carry both tactical and strategic weapons. Similarly, air power is unique in a way that the same platform and weapon load can be brought to bear against a target of choice (tactical, operational or strategic); a force that is equally skilled for employment against a conventional or an unconventional target. Air assets can be diverted at any time in flight from one target to another, and sometimes even for an altogether different mission. Although the aim might not alter, a commander may be required to exercise judgment in flexibility by modifying plans to meet the changing circumstances, take advantage of fleeting opportunities, or shift the main effort for operations. Owing to their inherent flexibility, aircraft can be employed to undertake multiple missions during operations. Flexibility demands trust, good training, organization, discipline, staff work and quick decision making. Additionally, it requires sustainability and a degree of mobility, which ensures that redeployments can take place both rapidly and economically. Modern multi-role aircraft and systems can be reconfigured quickly for other roles, whereas aircraft configured for multi-missions can carry out more than one specialist task during a single sortie. The A-10, usually considered a close support aircraft, took on many interdiction missions during Operation Desert Storm, while one wing of F-111s, optimised as long range deep interdiction aircraft, destroyed hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles with precision weapons. During the 1971 war, C-130s undertook airfield attacks against India and slow flying T6-G trainers flew night interdiction missions against the Indian army. (d) Synergy. Air power has the ability of producing synergistic effects. Suitable application of a coordinated force can produce effects that far exceed those contributed separately by different forces. In modern warfare, destruction of a large number of targets is not necessary. Instead, simultaneous attacks on carefully chosen CsG, as enabled by air power, can achieve the objectives through cost-effective application. Such parallel engagements are possible through a synergistic combination of high technology precision weapon systems, command and control techniques and modern Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, such as satellites and UAVs. At the joint forces level, a correctly coordinated application of various elements of air and surface forces could bring to bear disproportionate pressure on the enemy, forcing it to give up. In future, PAF must initiate measures, first to acquire space-based assets, and then to integrate these with air and surface elements to complement the full range of future capabilities. This is essentially required for future wars. Combination of the remaining attributes of air power, such as responsiveness, lethality and flexibility, will be enabled through integration by technology, which jointly would provide the operational commander with a coordinated manoeuvreand-effect equation that can generate its own tempo and momentum leaving the adversary paralysed for response. Pakistans security imperatives require that all our decision makers posses an undistorted understanding of the characteristics of air power.

(e) Ubiquity. Within a given level of resources, air power - due to its height, speed and reach - can counter or pose any/simultaneous threats across a far wider geographical area than is possible with surface systems. (f) Concentration. Speed, reach and flexibility allow air power to concentrate military force in time and space, when and where required. As General Nathan B Forrest of US rightly pointed out, that the secret of war lies in getting there fastest with the mostest; air power has that capability. LIMITATIONS OF AIR POWER 5. Air power, along-with its strengths, also has some inherent limitations; namely fragility, limited payloads, impermanence and information dependence:6. Fragility. Air power is fragile. Air vehicles are highly stressed machines and therefore tend to be more fragile than surface vehicles. All other things being equal, aircraft and their crews are soft targets. Similarly, air bases are permanent fixtures, they cant be moved and thus they are vulnerable to air and ground attack. Resultantly, damage to any key component can have catastrophic effects. Although fragile, these air power vulnerabilities can be reduced by a range of protective measures which includes:(a) Offsetting characteristics e.g. speed, altitude and manoeuvrability.

(b) Low observable technologies such as stealth to reduce aircraft radar cross-section, infrared signature and engine noise etc. (c) Aircraft self-defence systems e.g. electronic counter measures, chaff and flares. (d) Tactics e.g. route planning, deception and surprise.

(e) Redundant aircraft systems such as flight controls, hydraulics, electric, cabling etc. (f) 7. Air base defences. The payloads that can be carried by aircraft are far more

Limited Payload.

limited than those that can be carried by ships or by land vehicles. This applies equally to combat and combat support roles e.g. air transport. This weakness can be compensated significantly by air power's other strengths like responsiveness, speed, reach, high tempo, precision and lethality. 8. Impermanence. Aircraft cannot stay airborne indefinitely. Though Air-to-Air refuelling can greatly extend the range of aircraft, however, no means yet have been devised to re-arm, re-crew or service an aircraft while in flight. Therefore airpower is an impermanent form of military force; the effect it creates tends to be short lived and to sustain those effects, operations have to be repeated.

9. Air power by itself is unable to hold ground. The cost for a small or medium sized air force set up to maintain a semi-permanent presence can be prohibitive. However, air power can establish presence through air patrols, surveillance, reconnaissance, and rapid response to detected or reported incidents on the surface and in the air. This presence, which can be permanent in its effects, is called air occupation and has been practiced successfully in particular circumstances for six decades. 10. The growing use of satellites, uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs), advanced strike aircraft armed with standoff precision weapons, and airborne early warning and control systems will continue to enhance the importance and value of air occupation. 11. Information Dependence. Air power is critically dependent on latest information. Air power is a potent weapon but it relies on purposeful direction, detailed planning and coordination which entirely depend upon up-to-date and integrated information. Identification of targets, their locations and pinpoint delivery of precision guided munitions and other payloads all depends upon accurate target information. 12. Air power's use of the third dimension enables it to exploit information to provide the knowledge required for the conduct of successful operations by air, land and sea forces. CONDITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS 13. The conditional characteristics of air power - those which can act in either a positive or a negative sense depending on the nature of the existing conditions include cost, dependency on bases and sensitivity to technology:14. Cost. Air power is expensive to acquire, operate and maintain. This characteristic applies equally to weapon systems, simulators, aircrew, specialist personnel, ground support equipment, spares and air bases. High tech equipment inevitably costs more than simple equipment. Military aircraft tend to be at the cutting edge of technology and can therefore be costly. Similarly, aircrew training can also be very expensive. But these costs are less related to air power by itself as a form of military force, than to the level of air power capability desired. A modern highly-capable fighter-bomber aircraft will typically cost in the region of US $40m to US $70m. Less capable aircraft can be purchased at the same price as of a main battle tank. For certain tasks, a highly capable aircraft is essential, but for others a far less costly solution may suffice. Similarly, training costs are closely related to the complexity of the aircraft that the aircrews are required to fly. In every case, cost as such must be balanced against cost-effectiveness. 15. Base Dependence. All forms of modern military power depend on base support. Armies in the field need depots to support them and navies need harbour facilities. However, air power is often seen to be more obviously dependant on its bases -- be they fixed or mobile e.g. aircraft carriers. Helicopters and some fixedwings aircraft can take-off and land vertically, but most fixed wing aircraft depend

fundamentally on air bases which are large in area; well developed in terms of pavements, power, water supply, and airfield approach aids; well supported by command and control systems; and well stocked and continually re-supplied. Because of these features, air bases are extremely difficult to secure. They are vulnerable to attack, thus base-dependency is a source of potential weakness and the biggest limitation of the air power. Personnel and equipment are probably more at risk at permanently sited air base, however, if the bases are difficult to find, like aircraft carriers, then the converse applies. 16. Sensitivity to Technology. Air power tends to be more sensitive to technological changes than sea power or land power. Air power is a product of technology, and technological advances inevitably affect air power development. Experience has shown that even relatively small technological innovations can have a major impact on airpower effectiveness. The offensive capabilities of air power could be subdued by, say, advances in surface-to-air defence technology. But equally, they could be enhanced enormously by developments in low observables technology (that is Stealth). The nature of the balance will always depend on the overall direction and rate of technological development.