Employing Aerial Coercion to Combat Terrorism: Recommendations for the Theater CINC

Abstract

Abstract : As military engagements edge farther away from large conventional force-on-force conflicts and into military operations other than war, the diplomatic and military 'tool of choice' has become the coercive use of air power. Air power can be a powerful weapon for the Theater Commander-in-Chief (CINC) to employ in combating terrorism, however, the CINC must be able to determine when aerial coercion is applicable, and under what conditions it will be effective. Aerial coercion has been employed, with varying degrees of success, against state-sponsored terrorists in Lebanon (1983) and Libya (1986), and against the non-state terrorist network Al Qaeda (in 1998 and again in 2001). The selective application of air power, specifically, the employment of high technology weapons against select targets that directly effect a terrorist's will to continue his course of action, can overcome both self-imposed operational constraints and enemy strategies to defeat coercion. In addition, the Theater CINC can implement several measures to significantly enhance the coercive effects of air power in the fight against state-sponsored and non-state terrorism. These include the political and military will to finish the mission, a strategic plan, implementation in conjunction with diplomatic, economic and information initiatives, and employment in conjunction with ground forces.