This book contains the proceedings of a conference held by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Canberra in 1994. Since its publication by the RAAF₂s Air Power Studies Centre in that year, the book has become a widely used reference at universities, military academies, and other educational institutions around the world. This American edition is a somewhat shortened version with minor editorial changes. The contributors discuss the evolution of airpower from World War I to the near future. Essay subjects include World War I; doctrinal development in the interwar period; strategic bombing and support of surface forces in World War II; and airpower in the Korean War, Vietnam War, Arab-Israeli Wars, Falklands War, and Persian Gulf War; plus coverage of airpower in such peripheral conflicts as Operation El Dorado Canyon, the Malayan Emergency, and the Israeli raid on the Osirak nuclear reactor.