Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

The use of <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong> Today: Have New Ethical Challenges Occurred?
Ano<strong>the</strong>r aspect pertaining to distance is <strong>the</strong> ability to operate air power almost risk-free. As
David Wetham puts it: “A whole new generation of weapons demonstrate a willingness to
kill but not to die for a cause”. 563 The physical distance, inherent in air power, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> near
absence of opponents in <strong>the</strong> air today makes air power nearly a risk-free business. Martin
Shaw argues that high altitude <strong>and</strong> long range destruction is inherently indiscriminate,
<strong>and</strong> concludes that when western forces use air power, it is to avoid <strong>the</strong> risk to one’s own
soldiers. 564 He labels this “risk transfer war”. In this context one can ask oneself about <strong>the</strong>
will to sacrifice lives. Is increased use of UCAV in missions in Afghanistan <strong>and</strong> Iraq a sign
of where air power is heading? Are we heading towards a risk-free environment where
<strong>Air</strong> Forces are not willing to sacrifice <strong>the</strong>ir airmen’s own lives?
Historically, <strong>the</strong> classical duel in which two opponents confront each o<strong>the</strong>r on equal terms
has been looked upon in <strong>the</strong> west as something ethically correct. Boxing is named <strong>the</strong>
“noble art of self defence”. Here <strong>the</strong> opponents have <strong>the</strong> same weapons, <strong>the</strong>ir fists, <strong>and</strong>
<strong>the</strong>y meet on equal terms on neutral ground. To provide extra fairness <strong>the</strong>re are even weight
classes in boxing in order to make <strong>the</strong> fight as equal as possible. The premise is that <strong>the</strong>
means are <strong>the</strong> same on both sides. If not, <strong>the</strong> contest is unethical. Is this logic transferable
to air power <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> ethical challenges in today’s new wars? Has air power erased <strong>the</strong>
notion of a duel in today’s war? Is this no longer a duel between symmetric opponents as
in <strong>the</strong> major conflicts of <strong>the</strong> twentieth century? We must not forget that asymmetry, like
symmetry, is a two-sided affair. When it emerges it is <strong>the</strong> consequences of a “mismatch” in
a relationship for which both side are responsible. Due to <strong>the</strong> technological superiority of
<strong>the</strong> west, today’s battlefield features <strong>the</strong> big against <strong>the</strong> small. If air power represents <strong>the</strong>
west’s lack of will to sacrifice <strong>and</strong> its refusal to operate on equal terms, war itself may have
become ethically questionable. 565 This does not take into account <strong>the</strong> security of one’s
own troops, which is not unethical. Yet if <strong>the</strong> need for self-protection weighs more than
<strong>the</strong> principle of <strong>the</strong> propionate use of force, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>re are definitely ethical challenges
involved in <strong>the</strong> use of air power. And if <strong>the</strong> consequence of <strong>the</strong> use of power does not
emerge out as ethically justifiable to <strong>the</strong> user, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> ethical boundaries are in danger of
being crossed. It may seem that air power, as a symbol, represents <strong>the</strong> west’s reduced will
to risk <strong>and</strong> sacrifice <strong>the</strong>ir own lives.
Keeping a Clean Perception of <strong>Air</strong> Warfare
During <strong>the</strong> Gulf War of 1991, correspondents <strong>and</strong> military spokesmen started to use
new vocabulary concerning <strong>the</strong> use of precision weaponry. The great impact of <strong>the</strong>
introduction of new technology caught <strong>the</strong> attention of many in western society. 566 They
were fascinated by “invisible” aircraft delivering munitions which were accurate down to a
couple of feet, CNN showing footage of released bombs with aim points hitting shelters
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<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror”