The Foundations of US Air Doctrine: The Problem of Friction in War

This study analyzes airpower doctrine from the viewpoint of Clausewitzian friction. The result of the analysis is the conclusion that American airpower doctrine has changed very little since the 1930s and that it is fundamentally flawed.

Lieutenant Colonel Barry D. Watts has been teaching and writing about military theory since he joined the Air Force Academy faculty in 1974. During the Vietnam War he saw combat with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon, Thailand, completing 100 missions over North Vietnam in June 1968. Subsequently, Lieutenant Colonel Watts flew F-4s from Yokota AB, Japan, and Kadena AB, Okinawa. More recently, he has served as a military assistant to the Director of Net Assessment, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and with the Air Staff's Project CHECKMATE.