Air Power and Africa’s Asymmetrical Threats In The 21st Century

The document summarizes closing deliberations from a conference on air power and asymmetric threats in Africa. It defines asymmetric threats as the use of innovation against conventional power, including terrorism, warlords, and transnational criminality. The text argues that African militaries must lead the debate on asymmetric warfare based on their own experiences, such as the 1994 Rwandan genocide, rather than relying on external benchmarks like 9/11. It highlights the vulnerabilities of air power, such as shoulder-launched missiles and sabotage, and emphasizes that technological solutions must be secondary to tactical needs. Finally, it asserts that security and development are interdependent, citing NEPAD's position that security is a prerequisite for development.

• Asymmetric threats in Africa are defined as the application of innovation against conventional authority and include terrorism, warlords, rebel movements, and both national and transnational criminality involving military-style violence.
• African governments are particularly susceptible to asymmetric threats due to a lack of sufficient political and military capacity to monitor and prevent their escalation.
• While air power is advantageous, it faces specific vulnerabilities including shoulder-launched missiles targeting aircraft, suicide bombers among crews, sabotage of navigation infrastructure, and attacks on aviation fuel supply routes.
• The document argues against a technology-first approach to security, suggesting that weapons should be designed to fit the specific nature of the fight rather than allowing the available weaponry to constrain tactical evolution.
• Referencing NEPAD, the text argues that security and development are interdependent and simultaneous commitments, with security serving as a prerequisite for development.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Air Power and Africa’s Asymmetrical Threats In The 21st Century. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MANGETHE.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Air Power and Africa’s Asymmetrical Threats In The 21st Century. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MANGETHE.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Air Power and Africa’s Asymmetrical Threats In The 21st Century |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MANGETHE.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforsecuritystudiesndair, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Air Power and Africa’s Asymmetrical Threats In The 21st Century}}, publisher = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MANGETHE.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }