The Decline of Traditional Air Superiority Doctrine Modern air forces are shifting away from fighter-centric strategies developed during the Cold War, when the US maintained roughly 70% air superiority in most theaters. Today's competitive environment—with advanced surface-to-air systems, integrated air defense networks, and peer-capable adversaries—has forced strategic pivots toward distributed operations, swarm tactics, and stand-off engagement at ranges exceeding 100+ miles. This represents the most significant doctrinal shift since the 1991 Gulf War demonstrated the viability of precision standoff strikes over traditional dogfighting. Understanding this transition is critical because it determines procurement priorities ($2+ trillion in global military spending annually), geopolitical leverage in conflict scenarios, and which nations maintain credible deterrence postures in the next 15-20 years.