basic doctrine of the indian air force co-ordination with the surface forces to attack vital target systems. Historically, the purpose of an independent strategy was to weaken the enemy’s ability to wage war and degrade his will to resist by attacking his sources of power. In contrast, the purpose of the coordinated strategy was to help friendly surface forces contain or defeat the enemy’s land and naval forces. The operations mounted to prosecute the independent strategy came to be known as the “strategic bombing campaign”, while those mounted to prosecute the auxiliary strategy were termed “tactical air support”, or more recently as a “counter surface force campaign”. Counter air, strategic air and counter surface force operations are the three elements of air strategy. Historically, the choice between these three strategies has tended to be one of emphasis rather than on their employment in isolation. In most recent conflicts, air forces have undertaken to prosecute all the three air strategies simultaneously, although the resources devoted to each have varied considerably. Therefore, air strategy would encompass all these options. IAF’s Air Strategy Counter Air Campaign Counter Surface Force Campaign Strategic Air Campaign Combat Enabling Operations Fig. 1: Air Strategy AIR CAMPAIGNS Since each of these strategies is meant to achieve a specific aim, and does so by using distinct methods, its prosecution requires a dedicated “campaign”. Hence, an air commander may have to wage three distinct but interdependent air campaigns in pursuit of his chosen air strategy. The sheer flexibility and versatility of modern aerial platforms and 32