Revolution in Military Affairs Raphael Cohen and the False Promise of Strategic Bombing
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Mar 3, 2025 Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at RAND and an expert in defense strategy, discusses the misconceptions surrounding strategic bombing in modern warfare. He critiques the belief that technological advancements equate to military success, revealing how such campaigns often empower adversaries rather than defeat them. Cohen highlights the strategic implications of drone warfare and the historical failures of air power, stressing that contemporary conflicts require a reevaluation of traditional military strategies and their political motivations.
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Strategic Bombing's Shortcomings
- Strategic bombing campaigns, often aimed at enemy centers of gravity, have historically not delivered on their intended outcomes.
- The availability of drones and missiles has broadened access to strategic warfare, but its efficacy remains questionable.
Challenges in Strategic Bombing
- Air defense systems, the occasional failure to achieve desired effects, and the potential for galvanizing the enemy are reasons why strategic bombing falls short.
- The mass of drones and missiles required to overcome air defenses is a limiting factor.
Resilience Against Strategic Bombing
- States and non-state actors today are more resilient than ever before, adapting to and withstanding strategic bombing campaigns.
- Attacking infrastructure often strengthens resolve rather than weakening it, a dynamic observed from World War II to modern conflicts.