Land-Based Air Power in Third World Crises

The third world will continue to grow in importance to the United States. Often possessing a wealth of vital natural resources or a geographic position astride crucial lines of communications, third world nations have, in many cases, become the focal point or East-West confrontations. Additionally, the frequent political turmoil and economic crises that plague some of these third world nations often threaten the vital interest of the West. For all of these reasons it is imperative that we understand the utility and limitations of military power applied to crisis situations in the third world. Land-based air power is of particular importance in rapidly developing crises because of its range of action and speed of response. Dr. Mt’s study focused on land based air power in a variety of these situations.