Role of airpower for counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas)

摘要

This thesis examines the role of airpower in Counterinsurgency (COIN) in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The direct use of airpower is kinetic application to physically destroy the insurgents; indirect use involves support roles such as transportation, logistics, surveillance and reconnaissance. The former requires near-perfect intelligence and precision strikes to minimize unintended damage; the latter complements information warfare and supports ground mobility. This thesis focuses on how the direct application of airpower affects COIN in Afghanistan and Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Excessive use of sophisticated U.S. airpower and predator strikes has produced undesirable collateral damage, forcing exodus into FATA and complicating the regional situation. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) operates under operational, technological and cultural constraints. The use of drones in FATA by U.S. drones, conducted without adequate coordination, planning and political sensitivity, added to the trust deficit between crucial allies, making the use of airpower controversial and counterproductive. This thesis concludes that air power produced tactical gains but was strategically costly; it destroyed enemies, but also lost friends in the process.