Rudekid, I see where you are coming from
Air power starts and ends with control of the air
. It may be a clumsy statement or a quote out of context.
Could it be taken to mean that "Air power starts and ends with control of the air with the other missions in between contributing to the land/sea battle, never losing sight of the need to maintain control of the air"?
Certainly ACM Sir Richard Johns in his forward to Air Power Doctrine makes no such claim. He said, in 1999, 'the generation of Air Power must take into account both 'jointery' and multinational operations . . . '
The first core capability is said to be information exploitation. Control of the air is second. Strategic effect is third ahead of indirect and direct air operations, combat support is fifth with force protection as sixth. Finally we have sustainability.