What Roles do Airpower Play in Irregular Warfare and What Challenges does it Face? Airpower Warfare Assignment, Singapore

Individual Essay Assignment for Airpower Warfare

Question: What roles do airpower play in irregular warfare and what challenges does it face?

Synopsis

Conventional armed forces are increasingly confronted by the fact that the kind of war that has been training to fight is seemingly becoming less and less relevant. Warfare in the 21st-century battlefield is characterised by irregular warfare, the use of unconventional tactics, and in many cases, the use of non-uniformed combatants.

• In such an environment, what are the roles of air power in irregular warfare, and the challenges that confront conventional air forces?
• Your essay should examine the roles that airpower plays in irregular warfare.
• What are the challenges faced by a modern air force in this kind of warfare?
• How does airpower contribute to combating irregular warfare?
• Your essay can draw from examples in the past conflicts in the 20th century like the Vietnam War, and the Malaya Emergency to look at lessons learned when the air forces at the time had to address the same question that you are faced with today. After using the past to inform us, what can be the future of airpower?