The Future of Air Power in the Aftermath of the Gulf War
The Future of Air Power in the Aftermath of the Gulf War

Author: Robert L. Pfaltzgraff

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 1428992812

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This collection of essays reflects the proceedings of a 1991 conference on "The United States Air Force: Aerospace Challenges and Missions in the 1990s," sponsored by the USAF and Tufts University. The 20 contributors comment on the pivotal role of airpower in the war with Iraq and address issues and choices facing the USAF, such as the factors that are reshaping strategies and missions, the future role and structure of airpower as an element of US power projection, and the aerospace industry's views on what the Air Force of the future will set as its acquisition priorities and strategies. The authors agree that aerospace forces will be an essential and formidable tool in US security policies into the next century. The contributors include academics, high-level military leaders, government officials, journalists, and top executives from aerospace and defense contractors.

Airpower against an Army: Challenge and Response in CENTAF's Duel with the Republican Guard
Airpower against an Army: Challenge and Response in CENTAF's Duel with the Republican Guard

Author: William F. Andrews

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published:

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 1428912568

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For nearly two decades the United States Air Force (USAF) oriented the bulk of its thinking, acquisition, planning, and training on the threat of a Soviet blitzkrieg across the inter German border. The Air Force fielded a powerful conventional arm well rehearsed in the tactics required to operate over a central European battlefield. Then, in a matter of days, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait altered key assumptions that had been developed over the previous decade and a half. The USAF faced a different foe employing a different military doctrine in an unexpected environment. Instead of disrupting a fast paced land offensive, the combat wings of the United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) were ordered to attack a large, well fortified, and dispersed Iraqi ground force. The heart of that ground force was the Republican Guard Forces Command (RGFC). CENTAF's mission dictated the need to develop an unfamiliar repertoire of tactics and procedures to meet theater objectives. How effectively did CENTAF adjust air operations against the Republican Guard to the changing realities of combat? Answering that question is central to this study, and the answer resides in evaluation of the innovations developed by CENTAF to improve its operational and tactical performance against the Republican Guard. Effectiveness and timeliness are the primary criteria used for evaluating innovations.

A League of Airmen
A League of Airmen

Author: James A. Winnefeld

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780833016652

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This report examines the contributions and limitations of air power in the Persian Gulf War. The authors conclude that, for the first time in modern combat, air power was the equal partner of land and sea power, performing the "critical enabling function" that led to victory. The authors seek to moderate, however, certain claims made by airpower advocates after the war: they maintain that the war did not demonstrate that a strategic air campaign guarantees victory, but rather that air power, skillfully employed under the right conditions, can neutralize, if not completely destroy, a modern army in the field. Nor did the war display breakthroughs in weapon technology, but rather the prowess of well-trained and motivated airmen and their support crews in using maturing technology. Moreover, the authors maintain, the air war was not fought as "jointly" as many supposed. The sheer mass of available air power allowed it to be used inefficiently at times to cater to doctrinal preferences of the various services.

Airpower Advantage
Airpower Advantage

Author: Diane T. Putney

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-02-02

Total Pages: 494

ISBN-13: 9781507814796

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American air power is a dominant force in today's world. Its ascendancy, evolving in the half century since the end of World War II, became evident during the first Gulf War. Although a great deal has been written about military operations in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, this deeply researched volume by Dr. Diane Putney probes the little-known story of how the Gulf War air campaign plan came to fruition. Based on archival documentation and interviews with USAF planners, this work takes the reader into the planning cells where the difficult work of building an air campaign plan was accomplished on an around-the-clock basis. The tension among air planners is palpable as Dr. Putney traces the incremental progress and friction along the way. The author places the complexities of the planning process within the con- text of coalition objectives. All the major players are here: President George H. W. Bush, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, General Colin Powell, General Chuck Horner, and Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. The air planning process generated much debate and friction, but resulted in great success - a 43-day conflict with minimum casualties. Dr. Putney's rendering of this behind-the-scenes evolution of the planning process, in its complexity and even suspense, provides a fascinating window into how wars are planned and fought today and what might be the implications for the future.

Gulf War Air Power Survey, V. 3: Logistics and Support
Gulf War Air Power Survey, V. 3: Logistics and Support

Author: Richard L. Olson

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published:

Total Pages: 790

ISBN-13: 9780160872839

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This volume consists of two reports and concentrates on direct as well as indirect support required to conduct air operations. The first report, Logistics, discusses logistics in the Persian Gulf War as it applies to all military operations and in particular to air operations. Includes functions for maintaining an air base and support services. The second report, Support, concerns itself with the air base and airbase operations (e.g., civil engineering, services, and personnel). This is the dual theme of the volume.

Gulf War Air Power Survey: Logistics and support
Gulf War Air Power Survey: Logistics and support

Author: Eliot A. Cohen

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 786

ISBN-13: 9780160429118

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Eliot Cohen directed the 5 volume survey. Richard L. Olson, et al. authored this V. 3. Consists of two reports. The first report, Logistics, discusses logistics in the Persian Gulf War as it applies to all military operations and in particular to air operations. Includes functions for maintaining an air base and support services. The second report, Support, captures and tells the stories of functional support areas. Focuses on those support areas that project air power.

Allies in Air Power
Allies in Air Power

Author: Steven Paget

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2021-01-04

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 0813180333

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In the past century, multinational military operations have become the norm; but while contributions from different nations provide many benefits—from expanded capability to political credibility—they also present a number of challenges. Issues such as command and control, communications, equipment standardization, intelligence, logistics, planning, tactics, and training all require consideration. Cultural factors present challenges as well, particularly when language barriers are involved. In Allies in Air Power, experts from around the world survey these operations from the birth of aviation to the present day. Chapters cover conflicts including World War I, multiple theaters of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Kosovo, the Iraq War, and various United Nations peacekeeping missions. Contributors also analyze the role of organizations such as the UN, NATO, and so-called "coalitions of the willing" in laying the groundwork for multinational air operations. While multinational military action has become commonplace, there have been few detailed studies of air power cooperation over a prolonged period or across multiple conflicts. The case studies in this volume not only assess the effectiveness of multinational operations over time, but also provide vital insights into how they may be improved in the future.