Volume 26 Issue 4, Jul-Aug 2012 Published July 1, 2012 Air & Space Power Journal, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL International Feature Embracing the Moon in the Sky or Fishing the Moon in the Water? Sr Col Xu Weidi, Research Fellow, Institute for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, People’s Liberation Army, China Deterrence as a military strategic concept came along after the debut of nuclear weapons. For more than 60 years, it has evolved into one of the most frequently used used—and abused—concepts in the games of international... Feature Articles Toward a Superior Promotion System Maj Kyle Byard, USAF, Retired / Ben Malisow / Col Martin E. B. France, USAF One often hears that officers leave the Air Force because of the lack of transparency and consistency in the promotion process. In its current form, the officer promotion system has inherent flaws, including the use of arbitrary code words—as... KWar: Cyber and Epistemological Warfare—Winning the Knowledge War by Rethinking Command and Control Mark Ashley Should the Air Force embrace knowledge-centric warfare (KCW) as the logical extension of information warfare to attack an adversary’s knowledge-creation system? Although great strides continue to be made in improving both offensive and defensive... From the Air: Rediscovering Our Raison D’être Dr. Adam B. Lowther / Dr. John F. Farrell After 10 years of witnessing a US focus on land-centric conflicts, commanded mostly by Army and Marine generals, the American public and even a number of Airmen understandably are beginning to believe that the primary purpose of the Air Force... Ricochets and Replies Ten Thousand Feet and Ten Thousand Miles Maj Christian A. Senn, USAF (Michigan Air National Guard) Air & Space Power Journal encourages worldwide debate about military topics by publishing articles that critique current methods and propose new ideas. We frequently receive Letters to the Editor from readers... Views The Importance of Airpower in Supporting Irregular Warfare in Afghanistan Col Bernie Willi, USAF This article examines the mission of NATO Air Training Command–Afghanistan and the Afghan air force, offering it as an example of how building this partner nation’s airpower capacity successfully supported strategic-level objectives defined by the... Exchanging Business Cards: The Impact of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 on Domestic Disaster Response Col John L. Conway III, USAF, Retired This year’s National Defense Authorization Act amended public law to allow the secretary of defense (upon the direction of the president) to mobilize reserve components involuntarily up to 120 days in response to natural or man-made disasters. This... Historical Highlights Air Officer's Education Captain Robert O'Brien This article from the Fall 1947 issue of Air University Quarterly Review provides an early perspective on the challenges in education and training that confronted officers in the early days of the US Air Force. Capt Robert O’Brien identifies seven... Download Full Edition