One Step Back, Two Steps Forward: An Analytical Framework for Airpower in Small Wars

摘要

Despite its undeniable power, today's US Air Force is not optimized for "small wars"—those involving nonstate entities or nonregular forces as enemy combatants. In this article, Major Stuewe analyzes a historical example of Great Britain's involvement in the Malayan Emergency of 1948-60 within the conceptual framework of an insurgent-conflict model. Given this example, he revisits the Air Force's current distinctive capabilities for improved conduct of small-war operations.