Airpower Theories

Name the Airpower Theorist/Strategist:

Airpower is inherently offensive​

Destroy air forces before they can become airborne​

Airpower can shatter enemy’s will to fight​

Airpower’s psychological damage  >  physical damage​

Airpower requires independence & air-minded leaders

• Gulio Douhet

• Billy Mitchell

• Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS)

• John Boyd

• John Warden

Name the Airpower Theorist/Strategist:

Fast “transient maneuvers”… OODA Loop… father of the F-15 & F-16

• Gulio Douhet

• Billy Mitchell

• Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS)

• John Boyd

• John Warden

Name the Airpower Theorist/Strategist:

Army & Navy ineffective w/o control of air… a naval defense is irrelevant​

Airpower’s will eliminate need for tedious ground wars ​

Airpower should focus on “vital centers” to force capitulation​

Airpower’s future is dominating population centers​

Advocate of independent Air Force

• Gulio Douhet

• Billy Mitchell

• Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS)

• John Boyd

• John Warden

Name the Airpower Theorist/Strategist:

Doctrinal HQ for airpower thinkers; emphasized target selection of “industrial web”​

Defense is impossible… bypass fielded forces… led to WWII’s HADPB strategy

• Gulio Douhet

• Billy Mitchell

• Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS)

• John Boyd

• John Warden

Boyd proposed "fast transient" maneuver ideas. What does it mean?

• Global reach, delivering supplies and transient troops

• Rapid maneuvers; faster tempo than our adversaries

• Research & Development of fast space vehicles

What is Parallel Warfare / Parallel Attack? (Warden)​

• attacking one target with all available assets simultaneously

• Air assets flying in parallel formation during combat

• simultaneous attacks against multiple target sets; targeting across time/space/levels of war​​

Name the Airpower Theorist/Strategist:

Shaped by mis-application of airpower in Vietnam​

“5 Rings Model” // Parallel Warfare // Centers of Gravity (COG) ideas

• Gulio Douhet

• Billy Mitchell

• Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS)

• John Boyd

• John Warden