Air Power’s First Among Equals: Why Air Superiority Still Matters (Defense)

Air superiority has been become non-negotiable in conducting U.S. military operations. In fact, the maturation of airpower has ensured that we have not been challenged by a conventional military in a “fair fight” in over 50 years. Air superiority is not an end in and of itself—its value is directly tied to the role air superiority plays toward the overall campaign objectives. History is replete with examples of successful or failed air superiority campaigns. This paper details air superiority’s role in both the Battle of Britain, and the 1967 Six Day War’s Operation MOKED. Today’s operations may not face a similar air superiority challenge, but, tomorrow that may well change. We must not allow ourselves to succumb to the “cult of the now.” Not all future conflicts will be insurgency focused. Russia is producing and continues to export sophisticated, modern air defense systems that place our current fourth generation fighters at significant risk. China is currently purchasing advanced air defense systems which may pose significant challenges to our options in East Asia. In the future we will be challenged for control of the air—we must be ready to fight for what has become our domain since the Korean War. The cost of developing and producing advanced stealth fighters is high—the cost of losing air superiority would be incalculable for the Joint Force Commander.