Coalition Perspectives on Airpower and Space Power

摘要

Alliance and coalition military operations figure prominently in both war and peace. Alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are formal, usually long-term strategic partnerships codified in written accords. Alliance agreements normally obligate signatories to render substantial military, political, and economic support to one another. Coalitions are less formal than alliances, typically consisting of countries or other political groups acting in concert to pursue selected common goals on an ad hoc basis. Coalition members may contribute to only a single aspect of an operation, remain in the coalition temporarily, and feel free to limit the extent of their obligation to other members. For example, the coalition formed to conduct Operation Enduring Freedom featured members who provided varying forms of political, logistical, or military support. A different coalition participates in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Yet another took part in Operation Unified Assistance—the tsunami-relief effort of early 2005. Terms like coalition of the willing have entered our vocabulary to describe countries joining together for specific purposes but not forming broad, enduring political relationships. Some pundits question the future of traditional military alliances such as NATO, but few of them doubt the ongoing importance of coalitions.