Air University (AU) > AUPress > Articles - Category Papers

Feb. 1, 2001
Eliminating the Rhetoric

Major Nowland identifies criteria that will provide objective analysis of a halt-phase strategy. He examines air combat in three operations: the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, the 1973 Golan Heights battles of the Yom Kippur War, and the Iraqi Republican Guard escape from Basra. His study consists of
Jan. 1, 2001
Shortchanging the Joint Fight: An Airman’s Assessment of FM 3-24 and the Case for Developing Truly Joint COIN Doctrine

This study analyzes the pitfalls of accepting Army/Marine counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine as the joint solution. It also offers insights and ideas from an Airman’s perspective for strengthening joint doctrine development in order to deliver fresh alternatives to our national decision makers
Sept. 1, 2000
Bedding Down with C-O-T-S

Major Bence examines the feasibility for the United States Air Force (USAF) to obtain and field a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) cargo aircraft in order to meet the current and future airlift requirements of the United States. He discusses the current capacity, the three types of cargo, and the
Sept. 1, 2000
Growing the Space Industrial Base

The Defense Department has long hoped that its needs for space products and services could be supplied by an industrial base that is sustained by commercial sales. That day has not yet arrived, despite years of targeted purchases, investments, and acquisition reform. The beacons of the past
Aug. 1, 2000
Uninhabited Combat Aerial Vehicles

Colonel Clark chronologically traces the evolution of uninhabited combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) beginning two centuries before the birth of Christ and ending with the USAF abandonment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and UCAVs in the late 1970s. He provides some background information and examines
July 1, 2000
US-Led Cooperative Theater Missile Defense in Northeast Asia

In this paper, Lt Col Rex R. Kiziah, USAF, examines current US efforts to cooperatively develop and deploy with Japan and South Korea a theater missile defense (TMD) family of systems (FoS) in Northeast Asia. First, the author summarizes the US security strategy for the East Asia-Pacific region with
July 1, 2000
Once in a Blue Moon

Colonel Belote concentrates on the question: What are the qualities necessary for airmen to perform effectively as war-fighting commanders in chief (CINC)? He identifies those necessary qualities of knowledge, insight, and skill through three methods. He reviews theoretical and historical literature
June 1, 2000
Seeking Shadows in the Sky

Major Hoffman analyzes the feasibility of guerrilla warfare as the basis for a strategy of airpower employment for a weak air force confronting an opponent with a stronger air force. She compares the ground combat environment of the traditional guerrilla with the airpower environment of the
April 1, 2000
Rapid Dominance

Rapid dominance--the ability of forces to exploit information and quickly destroy critical targets--is the key in controlling the battle space of future warfare. The ability to rapidly gain information, analyze it, and use it to make sound military decisions is key to military domination and
Dec. 1, 1999
Center of Gravity or Center of Confusion

Despite its crucial role in campaign planning, the center of gravity (COG) concept remains poorly understood and inconsistently applied. This research paper seeks to understand the common sources of confusion that can occur when the COG concept is employed. It investigates the extent to which these