Air Power in the New counterinsurgency Era: The Strategic Importance of USAF Advisory and Assistance Missions - Softcover

Alan J. Vick (Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Irvine) is a Social Scientist at RAND, Washington, DC.

Air Power in the New Counterinsurgency Era' delivers far more than the title implies. In the best tradition of RAND studies, this work combines theory, model development, and policy applications for developing counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy writ large and for improving USAF COIN capabilities specifically... 'Air Power and the New Counterinsurgency Era' is a work of critical importance for the USAF's senior leadership and the rank and file. It offers a prescient analysis of COIN warfare and strategy and provides trenchant recommendations for enhancing the Service's capability in the Long War against Islamic extremism.
Joint Force Quarterly, 1st Quarter 2008
[This monograph] has much to offer the reader concerning COIN. The authors spend a majority of their time clearly defining and categorizing insurgencies, detailing COIN principles, and discussing grand strategic options for COIN. They advocate a 'new' strategy of 'precautionary' COIN--very limited military intervention at the earliest stages--as the most cost-effective means of combating insurgency... A case study on El Salvador's insurgency and an examination of considerations in the development of COIN capabilities highlight important issues for US military planners: that smaller footprints and closer contact are often preferable, that the host nation must win the political as well as military battle, that military restraint is a virtue, and that airpower offers important capabilities.
Air & Space Power Journal, Summer 2007