Airborne Diplomacy: A Strategic Analysis of the Berlin Airlift's Air Power Perspective

Abstract

The Berlin Airlift is one of the most significant events in the history of air power and international relations. The operation, which lasted from June 1948 to May 1949, involved the massive airlift of essential supplies to the citizens of Berlin, who were cut off from the rest of the world by Soviet forces. The airlift was a demonstration of air power and humanitarian efforts that ultimately helped in achieving the objectives of diplomacy. This paper provides a strategic analysis of the Berlin Airlift's air power perspective and its role in shaping the diplomatic outcome of the crisis. The theory used in this research is the Theory of Air Power, Air Mobility Theory, Military Strategy & Defense Diplomacy. The method used is a qualitative method. It is concluded that, First, the Berlin Airlift aerial maneuver incident occurred because the Soviet Union did not want to rebuild Germany, but instead ordered the encirclement of the Berlin area. The target of the resistance was to block access and logistics and other supplies to West Berlin. Second, infrastructure, facilities, and services, including infrastructure, maintenance, logistics in the form of facilities and construction, as well as health services are important elements in the implementation of air mobility operations. Air Force logistics air mobility operational guidelines need to be formulated with the development of science and technology & gives valuable lessons for defense diplomacy and air power humanitarian operation applied in modern-day conflicts and wars.