Exporting Airpower: the Challenges of Building Partner Nation Air Capacity for Irregular War

During the past decade, irregular warfare has become the focus of US security policy. Numerous authors have written about the need for the United States military establishment to improve its ability to succeed in these kinds of conflicts. Unfortunately, most of these authors focus on the wrong actor. Insurgencies and other irregular warfare challenges are rarely defeated by outside powers. Therefore, rather than the United States improving its irregular warfare capability, it should instead focus its efforts on building the capacity of partner nations to provide for their own security and internal governance. Accepting this notion as a starting point, the author explores the conditions under which building partner nation air capacity for irregular war can supplant the need for US airpower. There are many variables affecting the success of an effort to build partner capacity (BPC).