Coercive Air Power

Throughout history, states have repeatedly employed military force for achieving foreign policy goals. In persuading other states, attributes of high speed, long range, quick response, precision fire power and shock-effect have collectively made air power a formidable component of national military power. These unique attributes together with certain features of air power like calibrated escalation and disengagement control suggest that air power can be an attractive instrument of coercion. However, review of air power history opens up an avenue of conflicting claims as regards air power's capability to work as a coercive tool. The debate becomes more pervasive in the current security environment because of the evolving threats posed by the non-state actors, especially the terrorists. While certain challenging limitations exist, air power, with its inherent attributes and enhanced by technological advancement, holds promise as a weapon of choice to coerce an adversary. Air power provides the political and military leaders with a coercive tool, without escalating into a full-scale war, and consequently with less expenditure of efforts, lives, and resources. However, coercion is more complex than pure military operations. It poses some challenges, especially while dealing with terrorism, and consequently, certain factors need to be considered while using coercive air power. When applied appropriately, and in the right context, air power provides a cost-effective option to be used as an instrument of coercion.