Land Based Air Power or Aircraft Carriers?: A Case Study of the British Debate about Maritime Air Power in the 1960s

ISBN-13: 9781138269439 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 230 str.

Gjert Lage Dyndal

Opis

Drawing upon a wealth of previously classified documents, the book reveals how the Admiralty and Air Ministry became interlocked in a bitter political struggle over which of their military strategies could best meet Britain's future foreign policy challenges. Providing an important and balanced overview of the complex issues involved, it offers not only a better understanding of Cold War political and military history, but highlights debates that are still highly relevant in the twenty-first century.

Recenzje

'Meticulously researched and engagingly written, this new work by Gjert Dyndal is a comprehensive historical investigation of the British maritime air power debate that took place in the 1960s. Dyndal has taken advantage of recently declassified archival material to bring to light the complexity and dynamics of this most fascinating period in British strategic thinking.' Chief of [the Australian] Air Force’s Reading List 2012 'What is notable about this book is that it is derived largely from materials that were previously classified and thus unavailable to scholars researching this topic.' British Politics Group Newsletter 'In Land based air power or aircraft carriers, Gjert Lage Dyndal has made an important contribution to the historical analysis on Britain’s political decision to dispense with aircraft carriers in the 1960s... The key strength of the book is the breadth and depth of its primary source research and the original insights available therein. It will not only appeal to sea and air power specialists, but also to those with general interests in the history of British defence policy-making.' Defense & Security Analysis 'It is such a pity that this important study did not appear two years ago, when Britain was agonising over the future size and shape of defence!... However, this work is still a very worthy contribution to the historiography, and should be read by both maritime and air power scholars.' Journal of Military History 'In total, Land Based Air Power or Aircraft Carriers? Is a well-written and readable book which offers many considerations inherent in any inter-Service debate over strategies-supporting weapons procurement, especially when economies are tight. It is recommended for a wide variety of audiences, and especially those interested in strategic debates, inter-Service competition, and politics as it related to re-election considerations versus requisite national security.' International Journal of Maritime History 'The story i

Spis treści

Contents: Preface, Geoffrey Till; Introduction; Replacement carriers and the new idea of an 'island strategy'; The debate on carriers and the island strategy; A new framework: a new debate on maritime air power; The fate of the CVA-01; New home-waters challenges, and the British forces; The British heading home; The grand story and the lessons learned; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

O autorze

Lt. Colonel Gjert Lage Dyndal is Dean of Academics at the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy. From 2003 to 2005 he was Head of the Maritime Air Power Section at the Royal Norwegian Naval Warfare Centre. He was awarded his PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2009 and is author of three previous books, 'Trenchard and Slessor: On the Supremacy of Air Power over Sea Power' (2007); 'Strategisk ledelse i krise og krig' [Strategic Leadership in Crisis and War] (2010), and 'Exit Afghanistan' (with prof Torbjorn Knutsen) (2012) .