ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 identifies the key theorists of air power, illustrating some enduring ideas in the conceptualization of air power and the struggle between tactical and intellectual (strategic) thinking on air power. The chapter begins with a brief explanation of the vision of bomber purists and the concept of strategic bombardment. Such key theorists as Giulio Douhet, Billy Mitchell, and Hugh Trenchard are discussed. Then, contemporary intellectual and strategic thinking on air power is addressed. The ideas of Tony Mason, Philip Meilinger, Colin Gray, John Warden, Richard Hallion, Eliot Cohen, David Deptula, and Robert Pape are explained in their relationship to the conceptualization of a more multifaceted use of air power in a more uncertain post-Cold War environment.
