The Rise and Fall Of Air Power

Abstract

As air operations continue in Libya, the ability of air power to achieve a decisive strategic outcome, in an era of constricting defence budgets, is once again under scrutiny. Martin van Creveld traces the evolution of air power from its tentative beginnings a century ago, to its mid-century heyday, through to the present, arguing that the utility of air power has fundamentally altered over this time. Do independent air forces have a use in an age of small wars and stabilisation operations?