The Legacy of Air Control: A Reassessment of the ‘splendid training ground’ of Mandate Iraq

Abstract

This thesis reexamines the air control scheme developed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) within Iraq from 1922–1930. The case study of Mandate Iraq has an enduring interest for military planners lately because of a rise in autonomous systems. Air policing within the air control scheme allowed for the successful maintenance of order in the wake of the 1920 Iraq Revolt and remained a pillar of British control until the 1958 coup. While many works cite this case study to further their critique either of empire or to justify the use of drones today, many do not adequately address the underlying complexities of the air control scheme. The general design of Air Control consisted of three central pillars: aerial bombing campaigns, armored cars and local levies, and intelligence collection vis-à-vis British Intelligence Special Service Officers (SSOs). Each element contributed to a strategic outcome of successful internal control of Iraq while cutting costs during British rule. Previous research highlights the lethal effects, i.e., aerial bombing campaigns, as the hallmark of the air control scheme. Its supporting components deserve more credit than previously acknowledged. While air power was an essential factor in controlling unrest over the vast arid and mountainous terrain within Iraq, the other factors often overlooked are the armored car units and SSO’s working in concert with RAF air squadrons. This study expands upon the recent work of Richard Newton, who argues for SSOs as a central pillar of Air Control, vital to the success of maintaining Britain’s colonial control. Political and economic aspects unique to Mandate Iraq and Air Control’s development are also stressed within this study. Air Control was not only a means of ensuring the RAF’s independent service status. Its emergence fits into a broader argument of Britain’s ‘Middle Eastern Question.’ Three unresolved matters of Air Control are addressed in this thesis, the relationship of the Sharifian Solution to Air Control’s formation, the cost savings argument, and the use of intelligence within the air control scheme. This critical analysis concludes with a brief discussion on the modern implications of Air Control.