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

Royal <strong>Air</strong> Force Operations in South-West Arabia 1917-1967
<strong>Air</strong> Substitution: The replacement of ground forces by aircraft.
<strong>Air</strong> Proscription: The employment of aircraft to proscribe a designated
area – related to <strong>Air</strong> Blockade: The denial of access to settlements <strong>and</strong>
l<strong>and</strong>s to disrupt economic <strong>and</strong> social life. 69
These definitions accord with those used by David Omissi in his 1990 study, <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong> <strong>and</strong>
Colonial Control, <strong>and</strong> reflect <strong>the</strong> terminology employed by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Ministry at <strong>the</strong> time. 70
The First <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Last
On <strong>the</strong> afternoon of 29 November 1967, a RAF Hercules of No 70 Squadron, carrying 75
passengers, flew out of Aden’s Khormaksar airfield, so ending 128 years of British rule in
Aden. It was perhaps fitting that an aircraft should bring down <strong>the</strong> curtain on <strong>the</strong> British
presence in south-west Arabia. For more than 50 years, <strong>the</strong> RAF had played a central role
in securing <strong>the</strong> port of Aden <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Protectorates, although it was <strong>the</strong> Royal Naval <strong>Air</strong>
Service (RNAS) that first employed aircraft in south-west Arabia.
Britain occupied Aden in January 1839, almost by accident. Yet, if it was a mistake, it turned
out to be prescient as <strong>the</strong> opening of <strong>the</strong> Suez Canal, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Royal Navy’s dem<strong>and</strong> for
coaling stations, soon endowed <strong>the</strong> port with considerable strategic importance. Situated
at <strong>the</strong> head of <strong>the</strong> Red Sea, Aden dominated <strong>the</strong> sea-routes to India <strong>and</strong> Africa <strong>and</strong>
allowed <strong>the</strong> Royal Navy to control access to <strong>the</strong> Persian Gulf.
The administration of <strong>the</strong> colony was <strong>the</strong> responsibility of <strong>the</strong> Government of India, but,
for a variety of reasons, little attention was paid to this remote outpost. The harsh climate,
<strong>the</strong> lack of any substantial military threat (even after <strong>the</strong> Turkish occupation of Yemen
in 1872), poor l<strong>and</strong> communications <strong>and</strong> limited natural resources, meant that such
investment as <strong>the</strong>re was tended to focus on <strong>the</strong> port <strong>and</strong> its immediate surroundings;
largely neglecting <strong>the</strong> interior.
On <strong>the</strong> outbreak of <strong>the</strong> First World War, Aden’s defences were modest <strong>and</strong> were soon
reduced fur<strong>the</strong>r in order to reinforce <strong>the</strong> Western Front. War with <strong>the</strong> Ottoman Empire
was not declared until November 1914 <strong>and</strong>, although Turkish forces rapidly advanced on
<strong>the</strong> Suez Canal, <strong>the</strong> main threat to Aden was regarded as coming from <strong>the</strong> sea. There were
two Turkish divisions in Yemen (approximately 4,000 strong) but <strong>the</strong> Resident believed
that local alliances struck with <strong>the</strong> various Arab leaders along <strong>the</strong> coast, as far as Oman,
would deter any attack overl<strong>and</strong>.
In <strong>the</strong> event, this trust proved misplaced <strong>and</strong> Turkish forces occupied Lahej <strong>and</strong> Waht in
June 1915 – without any resistance from <strong>the</strong> local tribes. A hastily despatched Movable
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<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror”