Military/Media Clash and the New Principle of War: Media Spin.

摘要

This study analyzes the evolution of strategic bombing doctrine to identify the basic doctrinal tenets and then evaluate their compatibility with emerging stealth technologies. Current doctrine is an evolution of existing doctrine, theory, and experience. Therefore, to comprehend fully the meaning of doctrine, it is necessary to trace its lineage. As airpower arrived only recently in the doctrinal arena, no previous doctrine existed. Therefore, this analysis begins with the early airpower theories that provided the roots of evolution. Giulio Douhet is the most famous of the early theorists and his work provides a basis upon which to build. Following World War II, Bernard Brodie modified Douhet's theory to incorporate atomic weapons and the experience to data. As theory evolved, so did early Air Corps 'unsanctioned' doctrine. despite a lack of approval at the Department of the Army, the Air Corps Tactical School developed and taught strategic bombing concepts that later provided the basis of World War II aerial planning and execution. The Korean and Vietnamese conflicts provided impetus for slow and gradual change to the basic tenets of strategic bombing doctrine. The USAF reinforced the validity of these basic tenets when it promulgated the 1992 version of Air Force Manual (AFM) 1-1, Basic Aerospace Doctrine. By testing each tenet against the demands of emerging stealth technologies, this study finds that existing doctrine is basically sound but incomplete. Therefore, this study proposes and tests additional tenets to accommodate stealth and the increasing rate of technical advancement.