The very nature and instrument of war was forever transformed with man's first flight in 1903. Since that time early theorists like Mitchell and Douhet offered their approach to the employment of airpower. They focused on strategic bombing as a means for airpower to win wars independently of land or naval forces. World War II, Korea, and Vietnam showed that effective employment of airpower must go beyond strategic bombing developing the missions of superiority, interdiction, and close air support. …
