TOPIC SPONSOR: HAF A5SM
How has warfare evolved over time in the post 9/11 world? In recent years, new developments have challenged traditional approaches to armed conflict, such as 'new wars', law-fare, cyber and information warfare, AI development, and 'grey-zone' or 'hybrid' warfare. How have emerging technologies been integrated into warfare? How are they redefining the conventional battlefield for the USAF? How have new actors and technologies impacted the dynamics of international relations and global security?
- Alzahrani, Lt. Col. Khalil, "Cyber Defense and the Protection of Airpower Networks: Lessons from Airpower History and Theory for the 21st Century," ACSC AO 2025.
- Alzahrani answers this by highlighting that modern airpower’s absolute reliance on digital sensor-to-shooter networks has redefined the conventional battlefield by introducing the risk of "strategic paralysis," where an adversary could entirely disable an air campaign by disrupting command and control systems without shooting down a single aircraft. To adapt to this transformation, he proposes that the Air Force must apply time-tested physical airpower theories directly to the cyberspace domain. Specifically, he argues that the U.S. must treat digital networks like the physical skies by establishing "domain control" through continuous network monitoring—akin to flying Combat Air Patrols (CAPs)—to ensure forces maintain their operational advantages and freedom of maneuver.
- Beers. Lt. Col. Shannon, "Congress, Commander in Chief and the Implications for the Department of Defense," AF Fellows Portfolio (Georgetown), 2025, 19 pgs.
- Beers explains that warfare has evolved into a continuous string of executive-led, undeclared, and limited military engagements. The integration of emerging military technologies, particularly over-the-horizon airpower and unmanned systems, has actively facilitated this evolution by enabling the President to initiate military operations without triggering the severe political consequences or public outcry associated with a declared war. Looking forward, he warns that integrating new domains like cyberwarfare—where actions such as shutting down an electric grid can be lethal—will further blur the legal lines between "imperfect" and "perfect" wars, testing current constitutional boundaries.
- Lind, Maj. Corbin, "Flying Tigers: The Next Generation--Warthog Diplomacy for a Global Grey War," AF Global College thesis, 2025, 88 pgs.
- McFarlane, Maj. Brandon L, "Precision vs. Strategy: Evaluating the Joint Targeting Enterprise's Role in Achieving U.S. Long-Term Objectives," AFGC thesis, 2025, 42 pgs.
- McFarlane explains that the Global War on Terror (GWOT) fundamentally altered warfare by introducing the JTE as the primary framework for operations, which heavily integrated emerging technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and precision-guided munitions. While these technologies redefined the battlefield by enabling persistent surveillance and remote strikes with minimal risk to U.S. personnel, McFarlane highlights their severe limitations. He argues that the overreliance on signals intelligence (SIGINT) and aerial surveillance often led to target misidentifications and devastating civilian casualties, proving that technological precision cannot overcome flawed intelligence or replace a cohesive political strategy.
- Mulder, Col. Christopher P. et al, "Honest Brokers in the Gray Zone: Adapting the NSC for the Twenty-First Century," Air Forces Fellows Paper, published as an AU Press Walker Paper, 2023, 146 pgs.
- Seguin, Lt. Col. Thomas Ryan, "Battle of Marawi: A Case for Military Effectiveness Study," AWC EL 2019, 13 pgs.
- Shields, Jeremy R.P., "The Sixth Military Revolution: Is the Department of Defense Ready?" SAASS thesis, 2923, 81 pgs.
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- Adams, Alphanso, "Cyberspace in War," SAASS Thesis, 2020, 62 pgs.
- Alejandro, Earl B., "The Leader's Gamble: Political and Military Decision-making and Risk-taking in Battle and War," SAASS thesis, 2024, 123 pgs.
- Anderson, Lt. Col Steven, "Air Force, Cyberpower, Targeting: Airpower Lessons for an Air Force Cyberpower Targeting Theory," SAASS thesis, 2013, 162 pgs.
- Arnholtz, Maj. Derek P., "Blast from the Past: How Conventional-Nuclear Integration from 1958-1962 Can Shape Great Power Competition in the 21st Century," SAASS thesis, 2021, 91 pgs.
- Blasdel, Tyler R., "'The Enemy of My Enemy': A History of the USAF's Fixed-Wing Aggressors," SAASS thesis, 2025, 90 pgs.
- Brookes, Group Captain T., "Lord Trenchard's Memorandum: a Blueprint for Success in the Contemporary Strategic Environment," AWC SSP, 2025, 34 pgs.
- Hannan, Maj. Abdul, "Preparing for the Future: Forging the Fundamentals of Space Superiority by Leveraging Lessons from Airpower," GCPME thesis, 2023, 64 pgs.
- Hayward III, Lt. Col. James Daniel, "'Changing an Adversary's Behavior': A Taxonomy for the Human Domain of Warfare," SAASS thesis, 2021, 87 pgs.
- Laclede, Peter R., "The Rise of the Rustics: The 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron in Vietnam, 1963-1970," SAASS thesis, 2024, 110 pgs.
- McDaniel, Lt. Col. Michael, "Building the Force: A Historical Look at the Elements of Successful Military Mobilization," AWC Strategic Studies paper, 2020, 28 pgs.
- MacDonald, Maj. Andrew, "Off-Ramps in the Pacific: National Character and the Mismanagement of the Great Power Competition," SAASS thesis, 2021, 128 pgs.
- McGinnis-Welsh, Maj. Daniel A., "Leader Analysis of Robin Olds: Finding Guideposts for Mission Command," ACSC elective paper, 2023, 9 pgs.
- Moxley, Maj. Robert M., "The Berlin Airlift and Integrated Campaigning in the Early Cold War: A Model for Competition below Armed Conflict," ACSC, 2025, 14 pgs.
- Mulder, Col. Christopher P. et al, "Honest Brokers in the Gray Zone: Adapting the NSC for the Twenty-First Century," Air Forces Fellows Paper, published as an AU Press Walker Paper, 2023, 146 pgs.
- Pierce, Joseph R., "Decisive War Theory: The Pursuit of Final Victory through War," SAASS thesis, 2024, 111 pgs.
- Podestà, Lt. Col. Alessandro, "The Concepts of Mass and Surprise in Future Air Wars," AWC Kenney Airpower Seminar Paper, 2024, 24 pgs. Winner of the AWC Douhet-Mitchell Airpower Trophy
- Ross, Cameron L., "'Cyber Operations Take Flight': The Air Force's Development of Cyber Operations Conceptions," SAASS thesis, 2023, 112 pgs.
- Skilling, Maj. Ryan, "Semper Fi to Semper Supra: Lessons for the USSF on Organizational Efficiency and Effectiveness from 246 Years of USMC History," SAASS thesis, 2022, 106 pgs.
- Stewart, Lt. Col. Michael F., "'Force Design 1930': The United States Marine Corps and the Doctrine of Organizational Survival," SAASS thesis, 2023, 83 pgs.
- Swick, LCDR Collin D., "Resistance Movements: Studying the Past for Clues about the Future," GCPME paper, 2024, 41 pgs.
- Thompson, Fleming R., "Strategic Air Command in Vietnam: The Opportunity Costs of Warfighting and Deterrence," SAASS thesis, 2023, 84 pgs.
- Thompson, Maj. Jared, "Innovating to Death: The Luftwaffe and the Limits of Qualitative Superiority," SAASS thesis, 2022, 112 pgs.
- Williams, Lt. Col. Kevin, "Notes from the Russian-Ukraine War," AWC paper, Russia Warfighter Advantage Research, 2025, 21 pgs.
- Williams, Maj. Shane T., "'The Man Who Saved the World': Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, GCB, KBE, MC, DFC, DCL," SAASS thesis, 2021, 129 pgs.
- Zweibelson, Ben, "Reconceptualizing the Space Domain beyond Historic Perspectives of Warfare," published as an AU Press Schriever Paper (2023), 59 pgs.