Bombardment of Land Targets
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Foundations of US Air Doctrine
DISCLAIMER This study represents the views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Air University Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education (CADRE) or the Department of the Air Force. This manuscript has been reviewed and cleared for public release by security and policy review authorities. iii Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Watts, Barry D. The Foundations ofUS Air Doctrine . "December 1984 ." Bibliography : p. Includes index. 1. United States. Air Force. 2. Aeronautics, Military-United States. 3. Air warfare . I. Title. 11. Title: Foundations of US air doctrine . III. Title: Friction in war. UG633.W34 1984 358.4'00973 84-72550 355' .0215-dc 19 ISBN 1-58566-007-8 First Printing December 1984 Second Printing September 1991 ThirdPrinting July 1993 Fourth Printing May 1996 Fifth Printing January 1997 Sixth Printing June 1998 Seventh Printing July 2000 Eighth Printing June 2001 Ninth Printing September 2001 iv THE AUTHOR s Lieutenant Colonel Barry D. Watts (MA philosophy, University of Pittsburgh; BA mathematics, US Air Force Academy) 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. -
Official Account of the Bombardment of Fort Mchenry
Official Account of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry. Copy of a letter from Lieut. Colonel Armistead, to the Secretary of War, dated Fort McHenry, Sept. 24th, 1814 A severe indisposition, the effect of great fatigue and exposure, has prevented me heretofore from presenting you with an account of the attack on this post. On the night of Saturday the 10th inst. the British fleet, consisting of ships of the line, heavy frigates, and bomb vessels, amounting in the whole to 30 sail, appeared at the mouth of the river Patapsco, with every indication of an attempt on the city of Baltimore. My own force consisted of one company of U.S. artillery, under Capt. Evans, and two companies of sea fencibles, under Capts. Bunbury and Addison. Of these three companies, 35 men were unfortunately on the sick list, and unfit for duty. I had been furnished with two companies of volunteer artillery from Baltimore, under Capt. Berry, and Lt. Commandant Pennington. --To these I must add another very fine company of volunteer artillerists, under Judge Nicholson, who had proffered their services to aid in the defense of this post whenever an attack might be apprehended; and also a detachment from Commodore Barney's flotilla under Lieut. Redman. Brig. Gen. Winder had also furnished me with about six hundred infantry, and Major Lane, consisting of detachments from the 12th, 14th, 36th, and 38th Regim. of U.S. troops - the total amounting to more than 1000 effective men. On Monday morning very early, it was perceived that the enemy was landing troops on the east side of the Patapsco, distant about ten miles. -
Precision Weapons in Aerial Warfare
IDSA Issue Brief IDSIDSAA ISSUEISSUE BRIEFBRIEF1 Precision Weapons in Aerial Warfare Vivek Kapur Gp. Capt. Vivek Kapur is Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi May 08, 2012 Summary Precision weapon delivery has come into the general public's mind space especially in the past two decades. While technology did not permit the achievement of great precision in earlier years, today technology has delivered the ability to place weapons at desired locations with great accuracy, currently measured in a few metres. Precision in aerial warfare, which initially lay in the individual skills of combatants, has shifted to machines through the incorporation of advanced technology. Today precision is more widespread on the battlefield that at any time in history. Indications are that in the coming years, the development of Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) will give greater magnitudes of precision than are available today. Disclaimer: Views expressed in IDSA’s publications and on its website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDSA or the Government of India. Precision Weapons in Aerial Warfare 2 Precision in warfare has been a much sought after capability that was realised when modern technology matured adequately. Precision has changed the very nature of aerial warfare in particular. Today modern air forces have the ability to put a bomb through a chosen window with confidence. However, trends indicate that in future precision weaponry could migrate towards directed energy weapons that have the potential to deliver a degree ofe precision that lies in the realm of science fiction today. -
Effects-Based Operations and the Law of Aerial Warfare
Washington University Global Studies Law Review Volume 5 Issue 2 January 2006 Effects-based Operations and the Law of Aerial Warfare Michael N. Schmitt George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies Part of the Military, War, and Peace Commons Recommended Citation Michael N. Schmitt, Effects-based Operations and the Law of Aerial Warfare, 5 WASH. U. GLOBAL STUD. L. REV. 265 (2006), https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies/vol5/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Global Studies Law Review by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Washington University Global Studies Law Review VOLUME 5 NUMBER 2 2006 EFFECTS-BASED OPERATIONS AND THE LAW OF AERIAL WARFARE MICHAEL N. SCHMITT* Law responds almost instinctively to tectonic shifts in warfare.1 For instance, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 constituted a dramatic reaction to the suffering of civilian populations during World War II.2 Similarly, the 1977 Protocols Additional3 updated and expanded the law of armed conflict (LOAC) in response both to the growing prevalence of non-international armed conflicts and wars of national liberation and to the recognized need to codify the norms governing the conduct of hostilities.4 In light of this symbiotic relationship, it is essential that LOAC experts carefully monitor developments in military affairs, because such developments may well either strain or strengthen aspects of that body of law.5 As an example, the widespread use in Iraq of civilian contractors and * Professor of International Law and Director, Program in Advanced Security Studies, George C. -
Space Weapons Earth Wars
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that EDUCATION AND THE ARTS helps improve policy and decisionmaking through ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT research and analysis. HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE This electronic document was made available from INFRASTRUCTURE AND www.rand.org as a public service of the RAND TRANSPORTATION Corporation. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS NATIONAL SECURITY Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 16 POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Support RAND Purchase this document TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY Browse Reports & Bookstore Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore RAND Project AIR FORCE View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces. SpaceSpace WeaponsWeapons EarthEarth WarsWars Bob Preston | Dana J. Johnson | Sean J.A. Edwards Michael Miller | Calvin Shipbaugh Project AIR FORCE R Prepared for the United States Air Force Approved for public release; distribution unlimited The research reported here was sponsored by the United States Air Force under Contract F49642-01-C-0003. -
The Origins of Mad: a Short History of City-Busting
CHAPTER 1 THE ORIGINS OF MAD: A SHORT HISTORY OF CITY-BUSTING Richard R. Muller INTRODUCTION The 20th century was the age of total war, and nothing symbolized that dreadful era more than the bombardment of civilian populations from the air. From its halting beginnings in the First World War, in which 1,141 Britons lost their lives, strategic bombing evolved into the mass air raids of the Second World War, in which some 52,000 British, 330,000 Japanese, and anywhere from 300,000 to 1,000,000 German civilians perished. Nations poured scarce blood and treasure into the development and manning of vast bomber fl eets capable of carrying the war directly to enemy economic and population centers in the hope that this investment would prove decisive in modern warfare.1 The underlying rationale for strategic air warfare predates the reality of manned powered fl ight. Before the arrival of the machine age, wars were fought primarily between the armed forces of the belligerents. The 19th century Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz noted that, while the “center of gravity . the hub of all power and movement” of an enemy state was normally its army, it could also be the capital, a key ally, or even public opinion.2 National power, therefore, could not be measured solely in terms of traditional military capability. Political will, economic productivity, transportation, commerce, and communications became increasingly important factors in struggles between the great powers. The advent of the commercial, fi nancial, and industrial revolutions brought with it the rise of the modern urban center, in which many of these elements were concentrated. -
The Protection of Civilians from Bombardment by Aircraft: the Ineffectiveness of the International Law Of
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Santa Clara University School of Law Santa Clara Law Santa Clara Law Digital Commons Faculty Publications Faculty Scholarship 1-1-1966 The rP otection of Civilians from Bombardment by Aircraft: The neffecI tiveness of the International Law of War Paul J. Goda S.J. Santa Clara University School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/facpubs Recommended Citation 33 Mil. L. Rev. 93 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at Santa Clara Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Santa Clara Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMMENTS THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS FROM BOMBARD- MENT BY AIRCRAFT: THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW OF WAR.* Silent leges inter arma. Cicero, Pro Milone, IV, 10. [E]xpediency goes with security, while justice and honor cannot be followed without danger. Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, V, 17. King Henry-God bless him-will have to say for reasons of state, that he never meant this to happen; and there is going to be an awful row. T. S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral. I. INTRODUCTION There is no doubt that international law is still suffering from the vagaries of weakness and the lack of an authoritative source. Such immaturity signifies a situation where the jurisprudential question of the sources of law is much more alive than in settled systems of national law. -
The 1923 Hague Rules of Air Warfare
The 1923 Hague Rules of Air Warfare A CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW PROTECTING CIVILIANS FROM AIR ATTACK* by Heinz Marcus Hanke Historical events since 1939 and the only partially completed codi- fication of the law of air warfare have made it one of the most contro- versial areas of the law of war. Though Protocol I additional to the Geneva Conventions does contain provisions governing air warfare, it has not yet assumed its due significance owing to the hesitancy shown in ratifying it. All the more importance must therefore be attributed to the historical development of such rules.' Compared with ground and naval forces, the aircraft is a relatively new weapon; it was first taken into account by the Hague Peace Conference of 1899, which adopted a declaration prohibiting any aerial * The original text of this article was published in the May-June 1991 German-language issue of the International Review of the Red Cross (No. 3, pp. 139-172). ' Though many articles and theses have been written about the history of the law of air warfare with particular attention to the protection of the civilian population, few of them can be said to constitute a comprehensive study of the subject. In fact, an ever diminishing amount has been published about this problem, especially in recent years. M.V. Royse's Aerial Bombardment and the International Regulation of Warfare, Vinal, New York, 1928, remains a 'classic' in this area. Another important work is E. Spetzler's Luftkrieg und Menschlichkeit, Musterschmidt, Gottingen, 1956. Air Power and War Rights, the oft-praised book by J.M. -
The Law of Air Warfare
The Law of Air Warfare by Javier Guisandez Gomez Hostile aerial action Under aerospace doctrine an aerial action is a set of aerial sorties of the same nature which take place simultaneously in pursuit of a common aim. In other words, an action of this type would attain the objective pursued if it involved two or more aircraft engaging in any of a range of operations, namely attacks, reconnaissance, transportation and special aerial missions. The possible situations in which aerial actions may take place range from peacetime to warfare, including all the intermediate stages. It may therefore be said that when aerial action is described as hostile, it is because it is actually carrying out or intended to carry out acts that have a single common characteristic, that is, violence. In this context, violence must be understood as acts which are com- mitted without the consent of the affected group or country and which therefore constitute a violation of the rights or the status of other com- munities or nations. It is important to clarify this point, as otherwise hostile Francisco Javier Guisandez Gomez is a colonel in the Spanish Air Force and heads the Tactics and Doctrine Department at the Air Force Academy in Madrid. Colonel Guisandez Gomez teaches the law of war at the Academy, at the Madrid Centre for the Study of International Humanitarian Law, at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy, and also as an instructor for the ICRC in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Original: Spanish 347 INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF THE RED CROSS aerial action would cover only aerial attack missions, while those involv- ing transportation or reconnaissance and special missions, and also electronic warfare, in-flight refuelling and so on, would not be classified as hostile action. -
Does the United States Need Space-Based Weapons?
After you have read the research report, please give us your frank opinion on the contents. All comments—large or small, complimentary or caustic—will be gratefully appreciated. Mail them to CADRE/AR, Building 1400, 401 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB AL 36112-6428. Does the United States Spacy Need Space-Based Weapons? Thank you for your assistance COLLEGE OF AEROSPACE DOCTRINE, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION AIR UNIVERSITY Does the United States Need Space-Based Weapons? WILLIAM L. SPACY II Major, USAF CADRE Paper Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 36112-6610 September 1999 Disclaimer Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited. ISBN 1-58566-070-1 ii CADRE Papers CADRE Papers are occasional publications sponsored by the Airpower Research Institute of Air University’s College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education (CADRE). Dedi- cated to promoting understanding of air and space power theory and application, these studies are published by the Air University Press and broadly distributed to the US Air Force, the Department of Defense and other governmental organiza - tions, leading scholars, selected institutions of higher learning, public policy institutes, and the media. All military members and civilian employees assigned to Air University are invited to contribute unclassified manuscripts. Manuscripts should deal with air and/or space power history, theory, doctrine or strategy, or with joint or combined service matters bearing on the application of air and/or space power. -
The Use of Barrel Bombs and Indiscriminate Bombardment in Syria: the Need to Strengthen Compliance with International Humanitarian Law
The use of barrel bombs and indiscriminate bombardment in Syria: the need to strengthen compliance with international humanitarian law Statement by Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic Presented at a side event hosted by the Permanent Mission of Austria and Article 36 Geneva, 12 March 2015 Mr. Ambassador, Distinguished Members of the panel, Ladies and Gentlemen, Since 2012, indiscriminate and disproportionate bombardments have been the primary cause of civilian casualties and mass displacement in the Syrian Arab Republic. A significant portion of documented civilian casualties have resulted from the use of explosive devices against targets located within densely populated areas. According to NGOs working on documentation, casualties from aerial strikes, ground shelling and explosions count for over 50% of total documented deaths in 2014, a substantial part of which are caused by barrel bombs. Indiscriminate bombardments have also damaged homes, medical facilities, schools, water and electrical facilities, bakeries and crops. In many cases, shelling was conducted in support of on-going sieges imposed on restive localities and neighbourhoods, in particular by State forces in areas like Yarmouk camp in Damascus and Al-Waer neighbourhood in Homs city. Despite their largely different scales of involvement, all parties to the Syrian civil war, with no exception, have used heavy weaponry in their possession to target populated areas leading to civilian casualties. It is partly due to the fact that most active frontlines have been located inside urban centres where fighters of all belligerents have continued to operate among civilians, putting their lives at risk. -
The Future of Urban Warfare in the Age of Megacities
Études de l’Ifri Focus stratégique 88 THE FUTURE OF URBAN WARFARE IN THE AGE OF MEGACITIES Margarita KONAEV March 2019 Defense Research Unit The Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri) is a research center and a forum for debate on major international political and economic issues. Headed by Thierry de Montbrial since its founding in 1979, Ifri is a non- governmental, non-profit organization. As an independent think tank, Ifri sets its own research agenda, publishing its findings regularly for a global audience. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Ifri brings together political and economic decision-makers, researchers and internationally renowned experts to animate its debate and research activities. The opinions expressed in this text are the responsibility of the author alone. ISBN: 979-10-373-0017-1 © All rights reserved, Ifri, 2019 How to cite this publication: Margarita Konaev, “The Future of Urban Warfare in the Age of Megacities”, Focus stratégique, No. 88, Ifri, March 2019. Ifri 27 rue de la Procession 75740 Paris Cedex 15 – FRANCE Tel. : +33 (0)1 40 61 60 00 – Fax : +33 (0)1 40 61 60 60 Email: [email protected] Website: ifri.org Focus stratégique Resolving today’s security problems requires an integrated approach. Analysis must be cross-cutting and consider the regional and global dimensions of problems, their technological and military aspects, as well as their media linkages and broader human consequences. It must also strive to understand the far reaching and complex dynamics of military transformation, international terrorism or post-conflict stabilization. Through the “Focus stratégique” series Ifri’s Security Studies Center aims to do so, offering new perspectives on the major international security issues in the world today.