Air Power And National Security

Airpower or air power comprises the application of military strategy and strategic theory to the realm of aerial warfare. Airpower began with the advent of powered flight early in the 20th century. Airpower represents a "complex operating environment that has been subjected to considerable debate". British doctrine defines airpower as "the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events." Despite some severe limitations airpower has transformed the nature of war. In the very first minutes of hostilities aircraft can appear over the very heart of a country, bringing death and destruction instantly to locations and populations that would normally need much campaigning and loss of lives as well as material. In keeping with the threat of this new military capability defence against air attack-interceptors, ground-based anti-aircraft guns, and surface-to-air missiles - have also improved rapidly. The race between offensive and defensive technologies has generally ended in favour of the offence. National security issues have hardly been discussed by political parties during Defence budget debates in Parliament. The parliamentary attendance then presents a sorry spectacle. Yet when grave national crises occur every second politician becomes a master strategist or tactician minus the grasp of the essentials of strategy and the intricacies of military operations and oblivious to the fact that the parliamentarians own strategic incompetence brought about the military aggression in the first place. This book contains the fundamental and basic information of the subject.
Contents
National Security and Indian Air Force Evolution • 21st-century Air Warfare • Airpower and Nature of War Impact • Airpower and Unconventional Warfare • Airpower and Army Attack Aviation • Airpower Theory • National Security Lessons for Air Power • Enhancing National Security and Air and Space Power • Challenges of National Security
Dr. Shriram Palekar, M.A., Ph.D. in Political Science is HoD, Deptt of Political Science at Ansuia Devi Mahavidyalaya Chhatar. He possesses a prolong teaching experience of teaching at UG and PG level students. He is teaching the subject for last twenty two years. He has received several awards. He has attended sixty four national and twenty international seminars and conferences and presented research papers. He has published several articles in various esteemed journals and magazines.