SAASS Theses

These SAASS theses were selected for publication from among those submitted to the faculty of SAASS, as one of the requirements for completion of a master’s degree in air and space power art and science. AU Press no longer publishes this series, but award-winning SAASS theses are now published in the Drew Papers series.

The Moral and Ethical Implications of Precision-Guided Munitions

This work explores the relationship between one of the most significant military developments to emerge in the past century, namely, aerial precision-guided munitions and their relationship with the just-war tradition. The aim of this study is to encourage moral and ethical reflection by
The Twelfth US Air Force

This paper analyzes the participation of the US Twelfth Air Force in the Mediterranean theater of operation from 1943 to 1944 and also studies the coalition and joint operations required in the air campaign.[MAJ Matthew G. St. Clair, USMC / 2007 / 88 pages / ISBN: --- / AU Press Code: T-43]
Crony Attack

Major Tolbert details how a nation can use crony attack to disrupt, if not destroy, “key elite supporters of an enemy leader to effect policy change in the attacker’s favor.” He defines crony attack, discusses its methodology, and outlines ways in which its effectiveness can be
Attacking the Mobile Ballistic Missile Threat in the Post-Cold War Environment

Using interviews with former Soviet Union missile engineers, Russian language sources documenting the Soviet need to develop mobile missiles, top Air Force commanders, and recently declassified CIA documents regarding the US reconnaissance program and National Intelligence Estimates, the author has
Third World Traps and Pitfalls

Two examples from twentieth-century conflicts demonstrate the potential that missiles possess to disrupt an opponent’s land-based airpower and achieve significant political consequences. Iraq’s use of Scud ballistic missiles in the 1991 Persian Gulf War produced nearly instantaneous
Force-Application Planning

Major Kreighbaum explores the following question: How can current force-application (FA) planning methodologies be changed or supplemented to provide better linkage between objectives, effects, and targets in order to achieve more effective applications of military force? The USAF has not
Time-Critical Targeting

Experiences in Operations Desert Storm and Allied Force have highlighted a significant weakness in the USAF's ability to engage time-critical targets. Major Marzolf introduces and investigates two methods-reactive and preemptive-and determines how they might solve the problem in 2010. Evidence
Hale's Handful . . . Up from the Ashes

Major Ellis analyzes the evolution of Seventh Air Force's joint command and control relationships as well as the development of joint operational procedures and doctrine in the Central Pacific during World War II. In approaching this subject, he proceeds chronologically, outlining the major
An Enduring Framework for Assessing the Contributions of Force Structure to a Coercive Strategy

DOD is still struggling to define itself in the post-cold-war age more than a decade after the new period began. With a strategy and force structure review occurring on average every two years, the military has still not been able to generate a consistent basis on which to justify its force
The Transformation Trinity

Major McClintock develops a generalized model for United States military transformations in peacetime. He combines observations made by several historians about recurrent trends in military strategic innovation. He concludes that, after taking into account inevitable uncertainty, there are three
Comparative Analysis of Internal and External Solutions to Provide Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation Functionality

Major Panarisi summarizes the development of current and proposed family of Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) systems-considered the gold standard of training mission enhancements-and presents the capabilities each system provides. He uses the Kadena Interim Training System as a suitable
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
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
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
The Air Refueling Receiver that Does Not Complain

This study focuses on the development of aerial refueling methods and procedures for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The author states the need for UAVs, lists assumptions, and gives a brief background on them. His discussion of the three current Air Force UAV systems (Predator, DarkStar, and Global
Warden and the Air Corps Tactical School

In this study Major West answers the following questions: Is John Warden's "The Enemy as a System" analogous to the Air Corps Tactical School's (ACTS) industrial web theory of airpower employment? If so, why (given the 50 plus years between development of these theories)? If not,
Higher Eyes in the Sky

During the past few years, United States Air Force (USAF) leaders have begun to emphasize space operations. Global Engagement: A Vision for the 21st Century Air Force states that we will eventually transition from an air and space force into a space and air force and various leaders have opined that
From Theater Missile Defense to Antimissile Offensive Actions

This study examines the question: What strategic approach should the United States Air Force take toward theater missile defense and antimissile offensive actions in the near term? This study begins with an introductory chapter asking the stated question in context, presenting the methodology used,
Charting the Nation’s Course

This study analyzes how the processes used in the national security planning influence the results. It begins by discussing the nature of strategic planning for national security, eventually defining it as a disciplined effort involving the allocation of resources to programmed activities aimed at
US Air Force lessons in Counterinsurgency

As it has so often in the past, the United States military and the Air Force will undoubtedly provide support across the globe to countries combating insurgents in the future. The host nation political and military organization and command and control structure governing the deployment and
Bombing to Surrender

Major Smith examines the contribution of airpower to the 1943 collapse of Italy. His study is largely about competing airpower strategies during World War II. He presents his own view of this 50-year-old debate. Major Smith does not offer another absolute ruling, nor does he represent a bias toward
More than Just a Nuisance

Strategic bombing against civilian targets was attempted on a grand scale during the Second World War against Britain, Germany, and Japan. Although the physical destruction was great, the coercive effect on the leadership of these states was questionable. However, in 1991, air attacks of negligible
A Matter of Trust

Doctrinal differences over the employment of airpower are as old as military aviation itself. One particular area of contention has been close air support (CAS).The two primary issues related to CAS are its command and control and responsiveness. Soldiers have argued that ground commanders should
Keeping the Peace

This study concludes that in order for peacekeepers to achieve their mandate, it is critical to possess strong political will and a minimum of operational support. Furthermore, regional organizations run the gamut in both political will and operational capability. Their performance indicates that
Beyond Gunboat Diplomacy

Military intervention short of full scale war is not a new phenomenon as a means of pursuing national interests. With the end of the cold war, military intervention has taken a new twist in the form of peace operations. The United States Air Force (USAF) in particular is being used as a tool of
Concepts of Operations for a Reusable Launch Vehicle

The United States is embarked on a journey toward maturity as a spacefaring nation. One key step along the way is development of a reusable launch vehicle (RLV). The most recent National Space Transportation Policy (August 1994)assigned improvement and evolution of current expendable launch vehicles
Lt Gen Ned Almond, USA

The case study herein analyzes the CAS philosophy of Lt Gen Edward Mallory Almond, USA. The author reasoned that General Almond’s diverse background in Army, Navy, and Air Force theory and employment would make him a logical candidate for a study. The main focus is on CAS employment and issues
The Links between Science, Philosophy, and Military Theory

This study examines the links between science, philosophy, and military theory. The author uses two case studies to demonstrate the links between these disciplines. He presents an overview on the rise of Newtonian science, and he examines how the key frameworks and concepts of that science became
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Weapons of Mass Destruction

This study analyzes the characteristics and capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to determine their capability to carry weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The author presents an overview of the various forms of WMD—chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. The objective is to review
Organizational Concepts for the Sensor-to-Shooter World

The term real-time information into the cockpit (RTIC) involves systems capabilities required to provide aircrews timely and essential off-board information to allow mission adjustments in response to rapidly changing combat conditions. The term military technical revolution (MTR) requires
Expendable Remotely Piloted Vehicles for Strategic Offensive Airpower Roles

Major Larm examines the feasibility of developing expendable remotely piloted vehicles (RPV) and explores future concepts of conventional US offensive airpower roles. He outlines the historical base of the larger category of unmanned aerial vehicles. Major Larm does not propose to take the pilot out
Transport Bombers

In this study, Major Benson addresses the shortfall in bomber and transport capabilities necessary to execute the two major regional contingencies called for in the president's national security strategy. He examines in depth the development of transport bombers as one option in the search for a
The Transportation Balance

This study analyzes the way the Department of Defense currently funds the Defense Transportation System. The central question that this study attempts to answer is does the current decentralized, service-centered, budgeting process optimize national mobility capabilities or would centralized budget
The Quick Response Air Force

Major Thompson examines the question: How should the US military structure its forces to provide the National Command Authorities an on-call, sustainable, and responsive airpower force worldwide? He provides an in-depth background, discusses the problem and its importance, related problems, past
Lifeline from the Sky

Major Brunhaver seeks to answer the question, what are the doctrinal imperatives of providing effective airlift support to enclaves? He states that doctrinal imperatives are those necessary and sufficient propositions that describe the optimal way to employ airlift forces in support of an enclave.
Information Warfare

This paper shows how the conduct of military operations in the Information Age demands new strategies, new tactics, and new ways of thinking. It raises moral and ethical issues regarding the relationship between the military, the media, and the American public; and it explores the relationship
The Future of NATO’s Tactical Air Doctrine

This study analyzes the need for changes to NATO airpower doctrine to reflect current Post–Cold War realities. NATO air doctrine does not yet reflect the actuality of today’s operations, nor does it anticipate the probable future employment of NATO’s airpower.
Beyond the Battle Line

This study examines the development and usefulness of US air attack theory and doctrine during the interwar period, 1919–1941. This period represents more than 20 years of development in US Air Corps attack theory and doctrine. It was the first peacetime period of such development. Attack
Planning Airpower Strategies

This study attempts to determine whether air component commands are capable of developing an effective airpower strategy. It examines US Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) because of its recent experience in developing and executing a sizable airpower contribution to a theater campaign. The author
Improving the Management of an Air Campaign with Virtual Reality

This thesis evaluates the near-term military utility of virtual reality (VR) and its component technologies to the battle management of an air campaign. It presumes a large-scale air campaign on the order to that in the Gulf War where air operations were continuous, prolonged, and intense. The
Global Reach—Global Power

The analysis presented in this thesis evaluates the contents of past Air Force strategic vision documents and studies the process used to create such documents. The thesis argument is that strategic vision documents can fulfill important functions for an organization, and that greater attention to
Special Operations Forces and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This study analyzes whether special operations forces (SOF) should use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, communications, and resupply capability deficiencies. The author’s objective is to review the missions and requirements of the United
Falcons against the Jihad

The analysis of this subject begins by demonstrating that Israeli air strikes in Lebanon supported a strategy of coercive diplomacy—an approach adopted when Israeli ground efforts proved unable to reduce the number of guerrilla attacks. In the course of this effort, the Israeli Air Force
A United States Antisatellite Policy for a Multipolar World

Whether to pursue the continued development of a United States antisatellite in the 1990s will prove a difficult choice for defense planners. Making a case for the weapon system in the bipolar world seems “intuitively obvious” to ASAT advocates. The US was faced with a formidable foe
Build-to-shelve Prototyping

The lag between the fielding of systems and the development of conflict-winning employment tactics and doctrine is a historical fact we dare not neglect. Yet, DOD acquisition strategy appears to be on the path to-do just that. Foregoing the expense of producing weapon systems— an
The Sum of Their Fears

In the past doctrinal differences between the services over how best to use airpower in joint campaigns have led to disagreements over airpower mission and target priorities. During World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm, ground commanders demanded greater influence over airpower employment,
Enhancement of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet

US military airlift policy strives to maximize the available wartime reserve of airlift for a given investment. Unfortunately, the capacity of America's strategic airlift system has consistently fallen short of the proposed wartime requirements and remains so today. During the 1970s and 1980s,
Making the Connection

This study analyzes and builds on Dr. Robert Pape’s framework for analyzing airpower strategies. The analysis shows the underlying value of his Targets and Timing, Mechanism, Outcomes construct as well as the considerable clarification and expansion it requires in order to perform
The Counterair Companion

This paper is designed to provide future joint force commanders a basic understanding of counterair doctrine, strategy, forces, and issues by demonstrating the continuing importance of rapid air supremacy, identifying problem areas that may limit future counterair effectiveness, and recommending
The Mechanism for Strategic Coercion

In the post-cold war environment of shrinking budgets and uncertain threats, America can no longer politically, nor economically, afford strategies that rely on our traditional military strategy of annihilation and exhaustion. Furthermore, America’s position as the single remaining superpower
Joint Operations in the Gulf War

To what extent was the effectiveness of joint operations in the Gulf War influenced by individual service perspectives? This study uses Graham Allison’s three models of bureaucratic behavior (Model I, Rational Actor; Model II, Organizational Process; and Model III, Bureaucratic Politics) to
John Boyd and John Warden

Colonels John Boyd and John Warden have contributed to the evolution of airpower theory through their respective works on strategic paralysis. Boyd's thoughts on strategic paralysis are process-oriented and aim at psychological incapacitation. He speaks of folding an opponent back inside himself
Strategic Attack of National Electrical Systems

This study seeks to answer the question, “How can airpower help resolve time-induced tensions between political and military imperatives in the conduct of modern warfare?” To answer this question, the study begins by exploring time in the theory of war with an emphasis on time as a
Ground Maneuver and Air Interdiction

Warfare is an ever evolving mixture of combinations: attack and defense, symmetry and asymmetry, maneuver and firepower, mass and economy of force, etc. True operational art manifests itself when the right balance of these combinations is applied to war fighting. This paper analyzes one such
Centralized Control of Space

The purpose of this paper is to determine to what extent and how the joint forces commander (JFC) should control support from space forces. Current Air Force doctrine, as delineated in Air Force Manual (AFM) 1-1, Basic Aerospace Doctrine of the United States Air Force, identifies the joint force air
The Failure of Third World Air Power

Download The Failure of Third World Air Power[notes][item]The Iraqi Air Force failed to live up to its prewar billing during Operation Desert Storm. Touted by many sources as an experienced, aggressive power before the war, Saddam’s air force turned out to be quite the opposite. This paper
Green and Blue in the Wild Blue

Major Hamilton examines the nature and degree of the convergence of the United States Army and Air Force airpower thinking and doctrine since the Vietnam War. His study is concerned with airpower and does not incorporate theories or doctrine that deal with the space medium. He excludes Navy and
Targeting Organizations

Major Schmidt analyzes the evolution of targeting organizations to identify their strengths and evaluate their impact on future organizations. He discusses both strategic and tactical targeting with primary emphasis on strategic targeting. Because Desert Shield/Desert Storm revealed that centralized
Theater Airlift Management and Control

This study analyzes current theater airlift organization and control principles for supporting a large contingency or conventional war. It segregates theater airlift management issues into three organizing categories: 1) organizational relationships and responsibilities, 2) theater command and
Rethinking the Air Operations Center

The Air Operations Center (AOC) is the centerpiece of the Air Force’s new command and control (C2) system for prosecuting theater conventional war. The AOC is a direct outgrowth of the Tactical Air Control Center (TACC). In Vietnam, the TACC mirrored the divided command structure of the U. S.
Taking Down Telecommunications

Information is one of the most, if not the most, essential elements of combat capability. Because telecommunications affects every aspect of a society, and is probably the most important medium which military information is exchanged, this thesis provides an understanding of the telecommunications
Preventive Attack in the 1990s?

The decline of the Soviet Union upset the world’s balance of power and opened the door to third world proliferation since the superpowers no longer have tight control over their client-states. This increase in proliferation raised the issue of how the United States (US) should respond to a
The DOD Operational Requirement and Systems Concepts Generation Processes

Operational requirements generation and system concepts generation are the crucial processes by which the US decides what weapon systems it needs to develop and acquire to sustain the military national instrument of power for the sake of achieving national security objectives. This paper asserts
The Airship’s Potential for Intertheater and Intratheater Airlift

The airship is recommended as a suitable solution to the mid-term strategic transportation dilemma. The fundamentals of airship operation are described, its history in both war and peace discussed, and some current private and military airship activities mentioned. Recent technological breakthroughs
A Historical View of Air Policing Doctrine

This paper reviews the historical accounts of the Royal Air Force (R.A.F) experiences in air policing during the interwar period, 1919-1939. It analyzes the evidence from the view of operational doctrine and applies an in-depth look at the basic tenets of R.A.F. air policing campaigns. It seeks to
Strategic Paralysis

The method or objective of Strategic Paralysis is to selectively attack or threaten those strategic or national level targets that most directly support the enemy’s war-making efforts and will to continue with his current behavior. Strategic Paralysis warfare should result in a change in the
Fifth Air Force Light and Medium Bomber Operations during 1942 and 1943

When Generals George C. Kenney and Ennis C. Whitehead became the two senior commanders of the US Fifth Air Force in July 1942 their work was cut out for them. The previous January, the Japanese secured the port of Rabaul in eastern New Britain. They immediately began the drive down the east coast of
To War on Tubing and Canvas

The combat glider was effectively used by German, British and US forces in World War II (WWII). Each country had unique doctrines of development, pilot training, and force employment. Germany, restricted by the Treaty of Versailles, saw the glider as an effective means of training future Luftwaffe
Defense Suppression

What operational principles and concepts should be used to defeat a highly capable ground-based, strategic air defense system? This study examines the theories of Carl von Clausewitz, Basil H. Liddell Hart, Giulio Douhet, and Col John A. Warden III, and reviews United States, British, and Israeli
Projecting American Airpower

The purpose of this thesis is to determine which form of airpower will best serve American power projection requirements as we approach the turn of the century. It examines three forms of airpower: carrier air, long-range combat air (B-2), and theater air (i.e., F-15, F-16, and EF-111). The author
The Secret Air War over France

This paper presents an historical account of the operations of United States Army Air Forces special operations units in the French campaign of 1944. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it is intended to be a brief history of the creation, development and combat record of these units.
The Rules of Defeat

During the Vietnam War, many American air commanders were convinced that rigid Rules of Engagement (ROEs) prevented an American aerial victory over North Vietnam during the Rolling Thunder air campaign from 1965-1968. ROEs were directives issued by civilian authority to guide the conduct of all US
Planting the Seeds of SEAD

Aircrews had dealt with threats --fighters and anti- aircraft artillery (AAA) --since the beginnings of the use of aircraft in combat, but the introduction of the Soviet-built SA-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM) in the Vietnam War ushered a new and deadly threat into air war over Vietnam. Although it
The Military–Media Clash and the New Principle of War

Principles of war are more than just a checklist for combat success. They are essential considerations that any would-be commander can use as an intellectual point of departure when contemplating combat operations. In the 1960s, a new fundamental principle of war was born in conjunction with the
Mines Away!

In World War II’s Pacific Theater, the US Army Air Forces (AAF) devoted a small percentage of its long-range capability to aerial minelaying against Japanese warships and commerce. Sea mines––explosive underwater devices that damaged, sank, or deterred ships--were weapons that had
Aerospace Doctrine Matures Through a Storm

In March 1992, the Air Force published a new Air Force Manual 1-1, Basic Aerospace Doctrine of the United States Air Force. This document is not merely an update of previous editions. Instead, it is a statement of propositions concerning the use of aerospace power set within the context of war, and

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SAASS Theses

The Moral and Ethical Implications of Precision-Guided Munitions

The Twelfth US Air Force

Crony Attack

Attacking the Mobile Ballistic Missile Threat in the Post-Cold War Environment

Third World Traps and Pitfalls

Force-Application Planning

Time-Critical Targeting

Hale's Handful . . . Up from the Ashes

An Enduring Framework for Assessing the Contributions of Force Structure to a Coercive Strategy

The Transformation Trinity

Comparative Analysis of Internal and External Solutions to Provide Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation Functionality

Eliminating the Rhetoric

Bedding Down with C-O-T-S

Seeking Shadows in the Sky

The Air Refueling Receiver that Does Not Complain

Warden and the Air Corps Tactical School

Higher Eyes in the Sky

From Theater Missile Defense to Antimissile Offensive Actions

Charting the Nation’s Course

US Air Force lessons in Counterinsurgency

Bombing to Surrender

More than Just a Nuisance

A Matter of Trust

Keeping the Peace

Beyond Gunboat Diplomacy

Concepts of Operations for a Reusable Launch Vehicle

Lt Gen Ned Almond, USA

The Links between Science, Philosophy, and Military Theory

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Organizational Concepts for the Sensor-to-Shooter World

Expendable Remotely Piloted Vehicles for Strategic Offensive Airpower Roles

Transport Bombers

The Transportation Balance

The Quick Response Air Force

Lifeline from the Sky

Information Warfare

The Future of NATO’s Tactical Air Doctrine

Beyond the Battle Line

Planning Airpower Strategies

Improving the Management of an Air Campaign with Virtual Reality

Global Reach—Global Power

Special Operations Forces and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Falcons against the Jihad

A United States Antisatellite Policy for a Multipolar World

Build-to-shelve Prototyping

The Sum of Their Fears

Enhancement of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet

Making the Connection

The Counterair Companion

The Mechanism for Strategic Coercion

Joint Operations in the Gulf War

John Boyd and John Warden

Strategic Attack of National Electrical Systems

Ground Maneuver and Air Interdiction

Centralized Control of Space

The Failure of Third World Air Power

Green and Blue in the Wild Blue

Targeting Organizations

Theater Airlift Management and Control

Rethinking the Air Operations Center

Taking Down Telecommunications

Preventive Attack in the 1990s?

The DOD Operational Requirement and Systems Concepts Generation Processes

The Airship’s Potential for Intertheater and Intratheater Airlift

A Historical View of Air Policing Doctrine

Strategic Paralysis

Fifth Air Force Light and Medium Bomber Operations during 1942 and 1943

To War on Tubing and Canvas

Defense Suppression

Projecting American Airpower

The Secret Air War over France

The Rules of Defeat

Planting the Seeds of SEAD

The Military–Media Clash and the New Principle of War

Mines Away!

Aerospace Doctrine Matures Through a Storm

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