Why is air superiority critical today?

Published Oct. 11, 2007
By Chief Master Sgt. Joeseph Thompson
22nd Civil Engineer Squadron

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- The following commentary essay was selected 1st place in the 2007 Air Force wide Services Agency Club Scholarship contest. The 1st place scholarship amount is $6,000 and was awarded to Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Tompson. For the eleventh consecutive year, the Air Force club membership has been helping members and thier familes combat the cost of higher education.

Air superiority is critical today because of the distinctive advantage it provides our military forces. Due to spread of terrorism throughout the world and the ever present threats from China, North Korea and Iran, it is imperative that we are able to have the striking power to respond quickly, travel great distances and deny potential threats to our forces wherever they may be. Historical evidence has proven the significance of air superiority. Since the German attack on Poland in 1939, no country has won a war without control the skies. No major offensive has been successful against an enemy that controlled the air and no defense has sustained itself against an enemy who has air superiority. The dominance of the air and space allows our forces freedom to attack key targets and keep us safe from attack. Air superiority provides not only dominance in air and in space, but also on land and sea. It allows our forces to control the battlefield at any given time and place without prohibitive interference by our opposition.

Air superiority provides a strategic, tactical and operational advantage. It provides for a more effective bombing campaign as demonstrated in Operation Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. During Operation Desert Storm, the air war was essentially won within the first 24 hours, setting the stage for the ground war. The entire war effort was 43 days, with minimum to no casualties. Our ability to refuel in air with our KC-135R aircraft makes it possible to keep a number of attack aircraft airborne and on call for ground support. Theses aircraft can then assist ground forces often within a matter of minutes of being requested. These precious minutes can be the difference between a successful mission and mission failure. In terms of emergency medical evacuations, air superiority can swiftly get our troops to medical treatment facilities they need, thus saving lives. Former Air Force Chief of Staff General Fogelman stated "Gaining air and space superiority is not just operationally important it is also a strategic imperative for protecting American lives throughout a crisis or conflict. The bottom line is that everything on the battlefield is at risk without air and space superiority."

Air superiority is a powerful element of today's military campaigns. The importance of the unmanned aircraft system (UAS), like the MQ-1 Predator can provide our decision maker's critical intelligence to make important decisions that save lives. The UAS has expanded their mission from the traditional reconnaissance, surveillance and target missions to a multitude of nontraditional applications to include digital mapping, and day and night strikes. Our 21st century technology will make it possible to find, track and target our enemy anywhere and anytime on the Earth's surface. Air superiority and our continued investment in gaining the edge, like the development of the stealthy F-22 Raptor, will provide our forces with the competitive advantage that will keep our Air Force the best in the world and provide a key role for the expeditionary aerospace force for another 60 years.

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