Air Warfare

Urban Warfare
essay
Civilian Casualties: Lessons from the Battle for Raqqa
Jul 1, 2022
The United States' emphasis on minimizing civilian harm in Raqqa, Syria, was quite clear and strong up and down the chain of command. But the way in which the U.S. military waged war in Raqqa too often undercut that commitment. The Pentagon asked RAND to find out what happened.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
The Most Popular RAND Research of 2021
Dec 22, 2021
As another extraordinary year draws to a close, we continue to believe that objective, nonpartisan research and analysis has a key role to play in navigating what continues to be a difficult time. Here are the 10 research projects that resonated most with rand.org readers in 2021.
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Military Strategy
blog
Saudi Arabia, Border Troops, China's Military: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 23, 2018
This weekly recap focuses on how to deter aggression abroad, examining the need for U.S. troops at the border, China's aerospace capabilities, and more.
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France
commentary
Insights on the Paris Terror Attacks from RAND Experts
Nov 17, 2015
RAND experts weigh in on what the wave of coordinated terror attacks across Paris means for France, the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, the global refugee crisis, and more.
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Military Strategy
commentary
The French Way of War
Michael Shurkin
Nov 17, 2015
Politico
There is a French way of warfare that reflects the French military's lack of resources and its modest sense of what it can achieve. They specialize in carefully apportioned and usually small but lethal operations, often behind the scenes.
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Syria
q&a
A No-Fly Zone Over Syria: Q&A with Karl Mueller
Oct 15, 2015
Some are advocating a no-fly zone in Syria to protect civilians from both ISIS and forces loyal to Assad. What constraints complicate establishing a no-fly zone and realizing its expected benefits? And how might Assad supporters, such as Russia, respond?
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Air Warfare
commentary
NATO's Campaign in Libya Offers Salient Lessons for the Air War Against ISIL
Karl P. Mueller
Nov 25, 2014
Defense One
The NATO air campaign that helped defeat Qaddafi's regime in Libya has received relatively little mention in public discussion of the ongoing air strikes against ISIS. But the campaign in Libya offers at least five lessons that deserve greater attention today.
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Armored Vehicles
commentary
Destroy ISIL's Heavy Weapons and Vehicles: Level the Playing Field
David A. Shlapak, David R. Frelinger
Oct 20, 2014
War on the Rocks
More than any other option, employing air power decisively to deny ISIL the ability to use its armor and artillery has the potential to immediately and dramatically shift the battlefield balance against it.
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Air Warfare
commentary
Air Campaign Against ISIS Is Just Getting Off the Ground
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Oct 17, 2014
The Hill
More than 60 countries have joined the coalition against ISIS, with at least 12 participating in the air campaign. Eventually, this will be an impressive armada, but the campaign is still in its first stage, and most of the coalition participants joined the effort only recently.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
q&a
RAND Experts Discuss U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS in Syria
Sep 24, 2014
The United States and five of its partner nations are conducting strikes against ISIS terrorists in Syria using fighters, bombers, remotely piloted aircraft, and Tomahawk Land Attack missiles. RAND experts discuss the bombings and possible ramifications.
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Military Strategy
commentary
The Grim Lessons of 'Protective Edge'
Raphael S. Cohen, Gabriel Scheinmann
Sep 3, 2014
The American Interest
For all the attempts to find technological quick fixes or enforce a permanent settlement, Operation Protective Edge has highlighted that a war of attrition, known as a 'long war,' remains the only viable strategy in the current environment.
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Iraq
commentary
What's Going on in Iraq?
Karl P. Mueller
Aug 14, 2014
U.S. News & World Report
While the United States could embark on a much wider war in Iraq, there's little reason to think it will rush to do so or that using airpower to help defend the Kurds will make such an escalation inevitable.
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Iraq
commentary
A Long-Term Strategy for a Democratic Iraq
Ben Connable
Jun 30, 2014
War on the Rocks
Unfortunately, no strategic option for a unified, democratic Iraq has a good chance of success. But any well-considered option that doesn't involve ineffective killing or risking U.S. lives is preferable to simply allowing Iraq to disintegrate and feed broader regional instability.
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Iraq
commentary
Would U.S. Air Power Work in Iraq?
Karl P. Mueller
Jun 18, 2014
CNN
With the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) making significant gains over the past week, including advancing closer to Baghdad, U.S. President Barack Obama is reportedly considering whether to deploy U.S. air power to assist Iraq's armed forces. But what would such an intervention mean in practical terms? And how effective an option would it be?
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Military Strategy
commentary
Objectives in Syria? Look at U.S. Targets
Seth G. Jones
Sep 10, 2013
Politico
If you want to understand the Obama administration's objectives in Syria, don't just listen to what officials say — watch what they bomb, writes Seth G. Jones. There are at least four sets of potential political objectives. Each is linked to a different set of targets.
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Syria
commentary
Learning the Wrong Lessons from Israel's Intervention in Syria
Dalia Dassa Kaye
May 14, 2013
Reuters, The Great Debate blog
The lesson here is not that countries should act for the sake of maintaining credibility but that they should act when they believe it serves their interests and might make a difference, writes Dalia Dassa Kaye.
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Syria
commentary
Syria, the Case for Intervention
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Dec 7, 2012
Financial Times
The longer this war drags on, the more radicalised become the insurgents, the more brutalised the population, the more inflamed the sectarian passions, and the more destabilised neighbouring societies, writes James Dobbins.
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Quoted

While new commitments see NATO furthering its human security efforts across alliance activities and mainstreaming these approaches, the reality remains that these commitments can appear vague and open ended, suggesting there is much to be desired in terms of specific direction that NATO forces are required to operationalise and implement.

Kaleigh Heard

Senior Analyst

Source: The RAND Blog

The presence of the Al Qaida leader in Kabul does show that the United States got little in the way of anti-terror benefits in exchange for its agreement to leave Afghanistan. That the Taliban would agree to host al-Zawahiri also enhances the credibility of numerous reports of other terrorist groups taking up residence there, suggesting the opening of a virtual Star Wars cafe of violent extremist movements in Afghanistan.

James Dobbins

Senior Fellow

Source: Newsweek

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Air Warfare

Civilian Casualties: Lessons from the Battle for Raqqa

The Most Popular RAND Research of 2021

Saudi Arabia, Border Troops, China's Military: RAND Weekly Recap

Insights on the Paris Terror Attacks from RAND Experts

The French Way of War

A No-Fly Zone Over Syria: Q&A with Karl Mueller

NATO's Campaign in Libya Offers Salient Lessons for the Air War Against ISIL

Destroy ISIL's Heavy Weapons and Vehicles: Level the Playing Field

Air Campaign Against ISIS Is Just Getting Off the Ground

RAND Experts Discuss U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS in Syria

The Grim Lessons of 'Protective Edge'

What's Going on in Iraq?

A Long-Term Strategy for a Democratic Iraq

Would U.S. Air Power Work in Iraq?

Objectives in Syria? Look at U.S. Targets

Learning the Wrong Lessons from Israel's Intervention in Syria

Syria, the Case for Intervention

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