Abstract
Scholars have often treated the United States’ military’s use of airpower with contempt, focusing on the casualties and destruction of war. But airpower has another function: conflict deterrence. During and after the Cold War, United States airpower actively engaged in what were formally termed Military Operations Other Than War, perpetuating its and its allies’ interests, preventing the spread of Communism, and deterring conflicts. With well-studied coercive strategies, military thinkers were able to pinpoint an adversary’s leadership and remove it with precision-guided munitions while mitigating casualties and preventing conflict escalation. With its fleet of cargo aircraft, the United States was able to deliver food, supplies, and troops to troubled regions in response to crises, thus maintaining stability and preventing bad situations from worsening. By exploiting satellite capabilities, the nation was able to watch its adversary’s actions, ensuring compliance with treaties and regulations. In a number of ways, airpower was used to tamp down potentially hot conflicts even while other airpower resources were engaged in more stereotypical attack modes. Drawing heavily on Air Force and Joint Military doctrines and related primary and secondary sources, this thesis analyzes and assesses how airpower contributes to United States’ interests in ways that have been often overlooked.
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