The democratization of airpower

Air forces are run by pilots, and they like to fly planes, but what happened in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago will finally give the civilian authorities arguments that the aviators cannot resist or ignore.

Big shifts in the military balance happen quietly over many years, and then leap suddenly into focus when the shooting starts, writes Gwynne Dyer. On Sept. 14, 2019, drones and missiles were used to attack two state-owned Saudi oil processing facilities. The Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Saudi Arabia blamed Iran. Iran officials denied any involvement in the attack. Screen capture image courtesy of BBC

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

September 30, 2019

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