Airwar: Theory and Practice (review)

Phillip Meilinger has written widely on aspects of contemporary and historical air power over the last few years and in this volume he has brought together many disparate pieces into an easily accessible and usable form. The book largely consists of articles and pieces published elsewhere in such periodicals as Armed Forces Journal International and Aerospace Power Journal, supplemented by some new material, particularly relating to current trends and the future development of air power. The range of topics does not quite live up to the dustcover blurb which loftily claims that the book tells the story of the evolution of air power over the past century, and if you were looking for such a volume this is not it. Indeed, despite the inclusion of an introductory section to each chapter in which the author explains the underlying premise of the subsequent section, and of an interesting and thought provoking initial chapter, the book lacks the cohesion one would expect from a monograph.

Nevertheless, this should in no way put off the prospective reader. The strength of this book, and one alluded to by Seb Cox in his series editor's comments, lies in the attempt to engage with the theoretical underpinnings of certain aspects of air power, its future rather than its history. The influence of the events of 11 September 2001 can be clearly seen in Meilinger's writing, both in the introduction and in the later chapters of the book. How is air power to contribute to global security and the defence of the west in the situation in which the U.S.A. now finds itself? How can it be employed most effectively to deal with threats such as that posed by international terrorism? How effective has it been in the recent past in supporting U.S. policy? Such weighty topics are tackled head on by Meilinger, and he nails his colours firmly to the mast of the growing importance and supremacy of air power in the twenty-first century and to the concept that air power is and will be the cornerstone of any strategy to combat terrorism. He further posits that air power allows the U.S.A. to take a more interventionist posture to the wider world, as in the past it has been fear of casualties, mostly suffered by ground troops, that has prevented action and caused international situations to deteriorate. With the employment of cutting edge air power, however, Western casualties can be strictly limited, thus freeing up Washington to take more vigorous action when necessary. One might counter that in this sense air power has made military intervention more likely, but it does not necessarily make it more effective or appropriate. Indeed, by making such intervention more palatable to American administrations, it could be argued that air power is actually contributing to greater global instability.

The most important aspect of this excellent collection, however, is that Meilinger draws on key historical debates to throw light onto the current and future state of air power. In addition, he offers a more complete theoretical framework than has been hitherto standard in works of this type. This is certainly a book worthy of the attention of practitioners of air power more than historians but as such, in the current political climate, it is to be recommended to all.