While the attack role is the essential of airpower, the control of the air role is the most important one. Control of the air ensures the desired level of freedom of actions and safety. There are some disputes about what is more suitable to be used – control of the air or counter-air for the name this role. The supporters of “counter-air” [15] as a role advocate with the argument that “control of the air” is an effect, delivered by this role. This flows from the simplified understanding of the term “level of control of the air”.
Controversy is that “control of the air” is an ability to control the airspace, which delivers the “security” as an effect in terms of freedom of actions and safety. Actually different levels of freedom of action …show more content…
Imposing the control of the air is not a desired end itself but a means, providing with conditions for achieving the campaign objectives. By gaining the desired level of control of the air, airpower provides with conditions to apply military power where and when it is needed.
An important element is the definition of the different levels of control of the air. These definitions also are subject of discussions. NATO’s last doctrine for air operations states that “there are two levels of control of the air: air superiority and air supremacy” [15], but the US Air Force (USAF) Doctrine states that “control of the air describes a level of influence in the air domain relative to that of an adversary, and is typically categorized as parity, superiority, or supremacy” [27]. In this study, the levels of control of the air, which will be used, are: parity, favourable, superiority and supremacy.
Parity is the situation when both of the opposing sites – friendly forces and adversaries – have not advantages in using …show more content…
Also all these remaining are related to a specific time and space and to the air potential of the opposing parties. Why the relation with time and space is important? Practically it is possible to gain and to maintain a desired level of control of the air just for limited time and over the limited volume of airspace. There is a wide spread belief in so called “western airpower dominance” in airspace over the rest of the world. This no so correct view has been inspired by decades of easy success in air operations of “western countries” versus adversaries, which actually have no serious air potential. Analysing the contemporary environment it is obvious, that the situation is completely different. USAF four-star general Frank Gorenc, who was commander in charge of USAF in Europe and Africa and commander of NATO Air Component Command up to the August of 2016, before his retirement expressed and opinion that there is no such thing as dominance in the air, even the superiority is an ambiguous if proper limitations in time and space are not
Controversy is that “control of the air” is an ability to control the airspace, which delivers the “security” as an effect in terms of freedom of actions and safety. Actually different levels of freedom of action …show more content…
Imposing the control of the air is not a desired end itself but a means, providing with conditions for achieving the campaign objectives. By gaining the desired level of control of the air, airpower provides with conditions to apply military power where and when it is needed.
An important element is the definition of the different levels of control of the air. These definitions also are subject of discussions. NATO’s last doctrine for air operations states that “there are two levels of control of the air: air superiority and air supremacy” [15], but the US Air Force (USAF) Doctrine states that “control of the air describes a level of influence in the air domain relative to that of an adversary, and is typically categorized as parity, superiority, or supremacy” [27]. In this study, the levels of control of the air, which will be used, are: parity, favourable, superiority and supremacy.
Parity is the situation when both of the opposing sites – friendly forces and adversaries – have not advantages in using …show more content…
Also all these remaining are related to a specific time and space and to the air potential of the opposing parties. Why the relation with time and space is important? Practically it is possible to gain and to maintain a desired level of control of the air just for limited time and over the limited volume of airspace. There is a wide spread belief in so called “western airpower dominance” in airspace over the rest of the world. This no so correct view has been inspired by decades of easy success in air operations of “western countries” versus adversaries, which actually have no serious air potential. Analysing the contemporary environment it is obvious, that the situation is completely different. USAF four-star general Frank Gorenc, who was commander in charge of USAF in Europe and Africa and commander of NATO Air Component Command up to the August of 2016, before his retirement expressed and opinion that there is no such thing as dominance in the air, even the superiority is an ambiguous if proper limitations in time and space are not