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.