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Aerospace Power 102

Mr. Matthew B. Caffrey Jr.

Professor of Wargaming

Air Command and Staff College

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What Wargame Designers Need to Know About Aerospace Power

Mr. Matthew B. Caffrey Jr.

Professor of Wargaming

Air Command and Staff College

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Aerospace Power�The Fickle Panacia

Mr. Matthew B. Caffrey Jr.

Professor of Wargaming

Air Command and Staff College

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Why Should a Wargame Designer Care

Aerospace Power

  • To Decisive to Leave Out
  • To “Fickle” Not To Wargame

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Why Should a Wargame Designer Care

Aerospace Power

  • Battle of the Bismarck Sea
  • To “Fickle” Not To Wargame

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Why Should a Wargame Designer Care

Aerospace Power

  • Battle of the Bismarck Sea
  • Chinese First Korean Offencive

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Ground Power Variables

  • Defensive strength doubled on high ground
  • Offensive strength halved across a river.

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Aerospace Power Variables

  • Defensive?
  • Offensive?

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The Debate Over�Tanks

  • 1920’s and 30’s
    • Tanks make Calvary, Infantry and Artillery obsolete
    • The tank was a one time tool for a one time problem
  • Today
    • There are situations in which tanks, lead, support, or are irrelivent

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The Debate Over�Aircraft

  • 1920’s and 30’s
    • Aircraft make Calvary, Infantry and Artillery obsolete
    • Aircraft are an overpriced supplement to Artillery
  • Today
    • Aerospace make surface forces obsolete
    • Aircraft are an overpriced supplemental fire

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First Principle

In the kingdom of the Blind the one eyed man is King.

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First Principle

In war the only advantages that matter are relative advantages.

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Uses of Aerospace Power

  • See
  • Shoot
  • Move

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Uses of Aerospace Power

  • Information Superiority
  • Counter-
    • Air
    • Surface
    • Strength
  • Rapid Global Reach

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Information Superiority

First World War Origins

  • Reconnaissance
    • Failure
      • French v German wheel
      • German v BEF
    • Success
      • French & UK at Marne
      • Germany at Tannenberg
  • Surveillance

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Information Superiority

First World War Origins

  • Surveillance
    • Balloon

+ cheep, defensible, good comm

- relatively low view angle, fixed

    • Aircraft

+ mobile, any view angle

- comm initially a problem

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Information Superiority

First World War Origins

VERDUN

  • German - initial massive air superiority
    • Take out balloons - block Recce
    • Bomb troops, RRs, Bridges - sole LOC
  • France - counter attack began in air
    • Anti balloon munitions
    • lots of almost as good aircraft

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Information Superiority�When it Works and When it Does Not�

Works

  • Battle of the Bismarck Sea
  • D-Day
  • Desert Storm

Does Not

  • Battle of the Bulge
  • First Chinese Offensive in Korea

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Information Superiority�Considerations Today

    • Aircraft

$ Relatively cheep to build, relatively expensive to operate

+ Responsive to needs

- Target, big footprint

    • Satellite

$ Relatively cheep to operate, relatively expensive to build

+ Global coverage with little footprint

- difficult, expensive to move

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Information Superiority�Variables

  • Impacts
    • Information differential
    • Attrition differential
  • Variables
    • Wheather
    • Terrain
    • Size of targets
    • Smarts of enemy

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Counter Air

First World War Origins

    • Protect Reccie
    • The Importance of Armament
    • Hitting them in their Nests
    • The Importance of Doctrine/Tactics
    • The Impact of Diversions

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Counter Air

Second World War Lessons

    • “The Few…”
    • Moscow & Tunisia - impact of bases
    • Marianas impact of training
    • Pulling the plug on airpower

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Counter Air

Lessons World War II

    • Korea, impacts of basing
    • Vietnam, impacts of information
    • Multiple, impacts of hardining
    • Falklands, impact of armiment
    • Gulf War, impacts of information

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Counter Air�Variables

  • Impacts
    • Not an end in itself - permits/denighs other missions
  • Variables
    • Numbers - not on the ground but in the merge
    • Quality of Aircraft. Pilots, Armament
    • Basing, capacity, location, hardness
    • Information differential

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Counter Surface Force

First World War Origins

    • Trench strafing a disaster
    • Attacks on reserves better
    • Air Can hold ground, sort of
    • Air Can destroy surface formations, when conditions ideal

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Counter Surface Force

Lessons From World War II

    • Close Air Support can be decisive
    • Attacks on reserves can be decisive
    • Air Can hold ground, sometimes
    • Air Can destroy surface formations, at sea

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Counter Surface Force

Lessons Since World War II

    • Close Air Support can be decisive
    • Attacks on reserves can be decisive
    • Air Can hold ground, sometimes
    • Air Can destroy surface formations
    • Ground defenses can defeat Air

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Counter Surface Force� Variables

  • Impacts
    • Air can defeat enemy surface forces
    • Enemy surface forces can defeat air
  • Variables
    • Weather
    • Terrain
    • Size of targets
    • Smarts of enemy

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Counter Strength

First World War Origins

    • French attacks: brief system effect
    • German attacks: psychological impact, diversion of resources
    • UK attacks: the first coverup

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Counter Strength

Lessons From World War II

    • Accurate bombing a prerequisite
    • A smart enemy reacts to your attacks
    • Attack the shortest pole
    • Attack energy sources, oil, coal, food
    • Psychological impacts vary

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Counter Strength

Lessons Since World War II

    • A smart enemy reacts to your attacks
    • Attack energy sources, hydro, food
    • Psychological impacts are two edged
    • Kenney was right

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Counter Strength� Variables

  • Impacts
    • Counter strength can “turn off” and enemy
    • Psychological impacts are two edged
  • Variables
    • Weather
    • Terrain
    • Size of targets
    • Smarts of enemy

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Rapid Global Reach

First World War Origins

    • UK’s partial success

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Rapid Global Reach

Lessons From World War II

    • Russian Front, Success and Failure
    • Tunisia, can and should are different
    • Kenney’s innovations
    • The “Hump” and its price

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Rapid Global Reach

Lessons Since World War II

    • Airlift can be decisive
    • “Nickel Grass”
    • Desert Shield - deterrence through...
    • Space, more reach - less lift
    • PGMs, more smart - less lift

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Rapid Global Reach� Variables

  • Impacts
    • Local superiority is the only superiority that counts
    • Technology - can - overcome geography
  • Variables
    • Weather
    • Need
    • Base infrastructure
    • Smarts of enemy

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General Considerations

  • It’s not your fathers Air Force
    • WWI to Gulf War - aircraft per target
    • Gulf War to the future - targets per aircraft
  • Space impacts in unanticipated ways
    • Lift avoidance
    • Increases lethality of other forces
    • Enables the CNN effect
  • One thing has not changed

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In the long history of war no advantage is quite so precious as being up against and idiot.�� General George Kenney

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To Learn More

  • Air Warfare In The Missile Age, �by Mr. Lon Nordeen
  • Books of the Air University Press
  • Books of the Air Force History and Museum Program
  • Air Force Doctrine

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Questions