air university review air power in small wars

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Air University Review, July-August 1983

Air Power in Small Wars

the British air control experience

Lieutenant Colonel David J. Dean

Perhaps the most visible uses o Ameri!an military or!es in re!ent years have been indeploying ".#. Army or!es as part o the #inai Constabulary $ission and sending ".#.

$arines to Lebanon. %n both instan!es& the mission o these or!es is not vi!tory in a'ar-ighting situation but pea!e(eeping through !onstabulary or poli!e a!tivity. )he

essential dieren!e bet'een 'ar-ighting and pea!e(eeping missions is that the ormer

ma(es the ma*imum use o or!e 'hile the latter is !ommitted to the minimum use o

or!e. )he gro'ing importan!e o a pea!e(eeping role or armed or!es 'as predi!ted

by $orris Jano'it+ more than , years ago the de!ade o the eighties is sho'ing the

pres!ien!e o that predi!tion.1

)he !onstabulary role o the military is one o many roles alling at the lo'er end o the

!onli!t spe!trum& that area tainted by the early /ietnam e*perien!e. 0oles in these

!ategories 'ould in!lude assisting )hird orld riends and intervening in small 'ars

'ith advisers or 'ith small& highly trained ighting units. %t is an area in 'hi!h today2s".#. Air or!e seems to have little role. As it has in!reasingly !on!entrated on its

strategi! nu!lear mission and its role in the high-te!h& high-intensity Central ront

4A)5-arsa' Pa!t !onli!t s!enario& the !apability o the Air or!e to parti!ipate in

small 'ars has !orrespondingly de!lined., %t may be time to e*amine the relevan!e o

".#. air po'er to the small 'ars that lare up so oten in the )hird orld and 'hi!h may

involve a vital ".#. interest re6uiring a military response. )he 7ritish e*perien!e 'ith

air !ontrol bet'een orld ars % and %% demonstrates that air po'er 'as on!e ee!tive

in a !onstabulary and small-'ar situation. )hat e*perien!e points out ho' air po'er& in

the hands o !reative strategists& !an be shaped and applied to support a government2s

most trying politi!al responsibilities.

Genesis of Air Control

)he oi!ial 7ritish deinition o air !ontrol& !ir!a 1933& noted that politi!al

administration o undeveloped !ountries rests& in the last resort& on military or!e. Air

!ontrol implied that !ontrol is applied by air!rat as the primary arm& usually

supplemented by or!es on the ground& a!!ording to parti!ular re6uirements.3 o' did

the 0oyal Air or!e !ome to be the dominant arm in !olonial !ontrol hat do!trine did

they develop to guide operations in the 'ilds o the empire hat impa!t did air !ontrol

have on the development o the 0oyal Air or!e
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7ritish air !ontrol resulted rom politi!al and military ne!essity. :merging vi!torious but

e*hausted rom orld ar %& 7ritain had to deal 'ith restive populations and disorders

o all sorts in its empire. "prisings against 7ritish rule& tribal 'arare& and border

problems seemed endemi! in the $iddle :ast& Ari!a& and along %ndia2s north'est

rontier. )he e*pense o large ground-or!e e*peditions to maintain order in the empire

'as be!oming in!reasingly burdensome. During the early 19,s& the 7ritish began tosear!h out alternatives to these !ostly e*peditions.

At that time the ledgling 0oyal Air or!e& drasti!ally redu!ed in si+e ollo'ing the

armisti!e& 'as being eyed hungrily by the senior servi!es& 'hi!h had never really

approved the !reation o a ne' servi!e rom their air arms.;)hus& it a!ed both a threat

and an opportunity< the threat 'as to its very e*isten!e and originated in the post'ar

struggle or resour!es bet'een the three servi!es the opportunity 'as to develop a

better 'ay to !ontrol and administer the empire. )he !hallenge then 'as to ma(e itsel

indispensable to the !ountry as a separate uniied servi!e. #in!e the only immediate

re6uirement or military or!e 'as in the !olonies& the 0oyal Air or!e needed to

develop the methods and means 'hereby its air!rat !ould be used as a !heap& ee!tiveor!e to !ontrol the empire.

)he irst indi!ation that the 7ritish Air or!e !ould deal ee!tively 'ith a !olonial

disturban!e 'as the su!!essul operation o =>= unit in 7ritish #omaliland in 19,. )his

'as a !ampaign against $ohammed bin Abdullah assan& the $ad $ullah& 'ho had

been pillaging the eastern tip o Ari!a sin!e 1899 and 'ho had been evading punitive

operations by regular 7ritish army units and the Anglo-:gyptian #udanese Army or

more than 1? years.? )he inability o ground or!es to stop the $ullah and his dervishes

rom overrunning the !ountry led to a !abinet de!ision to use air po'er against the

brigand and his large ollo'ing.

A sel-!ontained 0A e*pedition& !ode-named "nit >& 'as organi+ed and e6uipped or

a si*-month-long !ampaign. )he unit had 1, de avilland 9a air!rat& ten ord tru!(s&

t'o ord ambulan!es& si* trailers& t'o motor!y!les& t'o Crosley light tru!(s& 3@ oi!ers

and 183 men.@ 7y 4e' ear2s Day o 19,& > or!e had built a temporary airdrome at

7erbera and 'ere assembling their air!rat& 'hi!h had been delivered by ship. 7y 19

January all air!rat had been assembled and light tested.B )he 0A2s plan 'as simple "nit in #omaliland&= !he Royal Air Force

/uarterly& July 193& p. 39.

B. %bid.& p. 39,.

8. Charles #ims& !he Royal Air Force( !he First Fifty 0earsELondon< Adam and

Charles 7la!(& 19@3F& p. 38.

9. %bid.& p. 3B.

1. $artin ilbert& 1inston Churchill( !he #tric2en 1orldE7oston< oughton $ilin&

19B?F& pp. ,1@-18.


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11. light Lieutenant $. )homas& =)he 0oyal Air or!e in %ra6 sin!e 1918&= a le!ture

given at the 0A #ta College& Andover& :ngland& 19,3.

1,. 4. 4. olovine&Air #trate)yELondon< ae and Polden& 193@F& p. ,;.

13. #ims& pp. 39-;.

1;. Air /i!e $arshal :. 0. Ludo'-e'itt& Air #ta $emorandum 4o. ?, =Air

Control&= a le!ture by the Deputy Chie o the Air #ta at the %mperial Deen!e College&

London& April 1933 and ing Commander 0. . $. #. #aundby& Le!ture on =#mall

ars 'ith Parti!ular 0eeren!e to Air Control in "ndeveloped Countries&= 0A #ta

College& 1;th Course& Andover& :ngland& June 193@.

1?. #aundby& p. 1@.

1@. Air Commodore C. . A. Portal& =Air or!e Cooperation in Poli!ing the :mpire&=

Royal United #ervice 'nstitution 3ournal& $ay 193B& pp. 3;1-?8.

1B. %bid.& p. 3?,.

18. %bid.& p. 3?;.

19. or an eminently readable e*ample o ho' the 0oyal Air or!e developed and used

intelligen!e in an air !ontrol operation& see John 7. lubb& 1ar in the Desert( An R$A$F$

Frontier Capai)nELondon< odder and #toughton& 19@F.

,. #aundby& p. ,.

,1. #aundby& p. @.

,,. Portal& pp. 3?@-?B.

,3. #ee Lieutenant Colonel 7ry!e Poe %%& =)he 0ole o Aerospa!e Atta!( eapons in

%nternational Aairs&= an unpublished resear!h paper or the 4ational ar College&

ashington& D.C.& 19@?.

Contri%utor

&ieutenant Colonel Da'id (# DeanE7.#..#.& eorgeto'n "niversity o oreign

#ervi!e $.A.& lorida #tate "niversityF is a resear!h ello' at the Center or Aerospa!e

Do!trine& 0esear!h& and :du!ation& Air "niversity. e is an intelligen!e oi!er 'hose

re!ent assignments have dealt 'ith #oviet and Chinese military po'er. Colonel Dean is

a Distinguished raduate o #6uadron 5i!er #!hool and a graduate o Air Command

and #ta College and %ndustrial College o the Armed or!es.

Disclaimer


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)he !on!lusions and opinions e*pressed in this do!ument are those o the author

!ultivated in the reedom o e*pression& a!ademi! environment o Air "niversity. )hey

do not rele!t the oi!ial position o the ".#. overnment& Department o Deense& the

"nited #tates Air or!e or the Air "niversity.

Air 4 #pace "ower Chronicles ome PageK eedba!( :mail the :ditor
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air university review air power in small wars

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